Harry Potter, The Master of Tongues (Year Two)
by Lemons are Fun
Summary: It's the kids second year and time to experience a new Hogwarts. There is a new headmistress, professors and more things to learn. While all that is going on follow Harry (who learns who speaking to him in the halls), Hermione (who gets herself settled in her new world), & Draco (who discovers jealousy). AU to the books but with some similarities.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: Hello, welcome to year 2 for the class who started Hogwarts in 1991. There similarities, but as with year 1, there are differences as well. Just what is different you ask...well, I'll you read for yourself. **_

**_If you haven't read year one (Harry Potter and the Muggleborn Problem), it will probably help you with some of the characters and relationships. The characters are pretty OOC since the first war didn't really happen. Maybe you should read it, it will take too long to explain in this note. Also, Dumbledore isn't the hero like in the original books. _**

_**This year has 15 chapters, unless I decide to split the last into two. We will see. The story will be updated weekly over the weekend.**_

_**I don't own anything you recognize, it's JKR, the large companies who published the books and movies. I just like playing in this sandbox.**_

_**Enjoy and let me know your thoughts.**_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Hermione Granger waited for the green flames to flash before springing forward. Her grin was met with a matching one from her blond best friend. After spending their free time together at Hogwarts during their first year, Draco Malfoy had found it difficult to leave his friend when she and her parents headed for the entrance to the muggle world after arriving at Kings Cross. After numerous promises of the Grangers moving to Wiltshire soon, the children agreed to go to their own homes. That had been two days earlier and today was the first day Hermione would be able to say she was a resident of Malfoy Manor. She had felt at home there, more so than her own home, since the previous Christmas, but it had taken her parents a few months to get their affairs in order. Hermione could hear Draco's mum, Narcissa, yelling at him, but those words didn't register, she was just too excited.

"Draco step to the side and I will go through to get her." Hermione saw Narcissa's perfectly manicured fingers wrap around her son's shoulder and with a pull, his face was no longer in the fireplace. Shortly there after Narcissa stepped through muttering about her son's manners. "Hermione dear, it seems you are as anxious as Draco is." Narcissa immediately noticed Hermione's packed bag, jacket and pet carrier. A quiet meow from the carrier confirmed the presence of the witch's familiar. "Come on then and grab your jacket and Crook's carrier. I'll take your bag." After waving to an amused Jean Granger, the pair of witches stepped back into the floo and reappeared in the emerald green flames at Malfoy Manor.

Draco had a lick of sense; he took the bag from his mother and set it down before helping Hermione with Crook's carrier and her jacket. As soon as the half-kneazle was free, he stalked off toward the gardens, while the blond haired wizard hugged his mistress. Crooks didn't stay to hear the light haired wizard's comments, the half-kneazle knew his mistress was safe now.

"I'm glad you're here, we are going to have so much fun." As Draco started to drag Hermione off, Narcissa just watched in veiled amusement. "He isn't as smooth as you were." Narcissa didn't have to look to know her husband was standing directly behind her.

"No, but he is also just twelve, I didn't find my match until I was sixteen. I think Draco is doing well and I don't think Hermione minds too much." Agreeing with Lucius, Narcissa leaned back into her husband's arms. "I'll have Kitmu come and take these to her room. He has already taken to her as his own."

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Draco and Hermione met Harry on the back lawn where the boy's brooms were lying on the ground. "You don't expect me to get on one of those do you?" Hermione hadn't gotten over her fear of flying after watching Lavender Brown fall during first year and the stories of the boys exploits only confirmed how unsafe broom flight was. Both of the boys were shaking their heads but, Harry's hands were hidden behind his back so Hermione looked to him with suspicion.

"Nope, we know you won't fly on _our_ brooms. So we got you one and some books." Harry whipped his hands from behind his back producing a new broom and three books. Hermione was in a quandary, she wanted to see what books her friend had found, but there was broom to consider. Draco stood in the middle and took the top book and handed it to the conflicted girl.

"This one explains the theory of broom flight and includes all necessary safety, sticking and cushioning charms that are standard on training brooms. The second and third books are a more in-depth discussion of the merits of broom flight and the more advanced safety charms. The broom is a trainer and only goes a few meters off the ground." Draco placed the book in Hermione's hand while Harry set the broom against a tree.

"You boys go fly, I have some reading to do." Hermione situated herself under a different tree, across the yard from the broom, and began her study. It was a few hours later when Kitmu quietly popped next to Hermione. She had ventured to the broom and had placed all the charms from the first book on it. She ensured the throttle and height controls were active. Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she looked around and noticed the elf watching her. "I don't like to fly but Draco and Harry love it. They gave me books and the trainer broom, I should try it for them." Kitmu nodded.

"Mes place a few additional charms, yous be safe Miss Hermey." Kitmu blinked away and Hermione felt better about everything. She gingery climbed on the broom and kicked off. It wasn't as if she couldn't fly, their flying course during the first term ensured that but, she was just uncomfortable about not being in complete control of the situation. She floated only a meter off the ground and slowly leaned forward. The broom moved at a sedate pace and after a few laps around the yard she did feel more secure on it. Leaning a little farther forward she picked up a bit of speed and found herself enjoying the way the wind blew through her hair. She turned herself back toward where her books were and delicately landed on the green grass. She placed the broom back against the tree next to her and began to read the second book.

While Hermione had been flying, Draco and Harry were positioned well above her and flying at the same speed to complete each lap with her. Hermione's focus never waived from looking straight ahead so they knew she wouldn't notice them above her. They silently cheered when she picked up a bit of speed and went a bit higher. After she settled to read the second book, the boys made a few extra lazy laps before landing next to Hermione. An unspoken agreement between the pair was reached to not mention watching Hermione practice.

"Well?" Harry didn't much enjoy 'quiet time' so he happily kicked off the conversation.

"Thank you. The books really did help and even though the charms were already on the broom is made me feel better to be able to place them myself. I'm certainly not going to go out for the team, but I'm not against an occasional fly around the gardens." Draco clapped his hands excitedly and slung his arm around her shoulders.

"I knew if you understood the mechanics better you'd be more willing. I know you read those books Henry's mom sent but they gloss over hows and whys of brooms. I think Father has been talking about private lessons for those that haven't had the chance to fly before Hogwarts." Shrugging a bit, Draco closed his eyes. Harry had already dozed off after hearing Hermione was more willing to fly. With Draco and Harry snoozing, Hermione kept reading. He Hermione didn't know how long they remained like that until Narcissa found the trio for lunch and a discussion with the entire family.

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It had taken almost a full year for the Grangers to fully separate themselves from the muggle world. After having sold the dental practice they began to 'travel' or that was what they had told their few muggle friends. The family, while close and friendly, didn't have a large social circle and therefore it didn't take long for those few friends to slowly fall to the side. Additionally, with the constant travel the couple was taking, their friends began to forget to send invitations to them. Finally, Narcissa had found a handy little charm that assisted the muggles in forgetting the Grangers. The morning Hermione went to the Manor was the same day the Grangers were finalizing their transfer into the magical world. Regulus and Lucius had appeared at the home and helped the couple pack everything that hadn't already made its way to the Manor. After removing all evidence of the Grangers, Lucius closed the floo and Regulus removed the protection wards from the home. The Granger's waved as they drove away and toward their real estate agent's office.

The selling of the house had been quick but took a little longer than Jean expected. It seemed the agent's promotion had worked better than any of them expected and the bidding war for the home was intense. An offer had finally been accepted and was set to be closed that morning. After finalizing the sale, Rich and Jean turned their car toward the Wiltshire property that would be their temporary home. Hermione had mentioned her excitement over being able to practice her magic at home but, that could only happen if she was in magical Britain.

Meanwhile, Narcissa had been looking for a home that would suit and was running into issues. None of the homes that seemed to be a match were in a good location. That morning she had marked the final village from the list. Over lunch the family would discuss their options.

After everyone had finished their meal, Narcissa mentioned how none of the available homes worked and suggested something that had been in her mind since Jean mentioned camping in the garden. "We should just build you a house on property." She was met with silence before the questions of where, what and how to build were posed. Lucius, looking thoughtful for a moment, simply suggested some of the land that was held under the Malfoy deed. Rich knowing Lucius's offer was quite serious, was still surprised at how easily the offer of land was made.

"What land are you thinking? I know you have quite a lot of it. Also, how would we go about building, I'm not sure I know any home builders in the magical world." Narcissa, silently kicking herself for not how quickly Rich would begin to question the logistics, pipped in.

"We don't have home builders, per se. We have an architect friend who is responsible for designing homes. He had done a couple for us and is quite popular with other families as well. First we should decide on the land." Narcissa stood and waved her wand over the table. As the cups and plates were removed, a large map was draped across the table. The map was a plat drawing for the Wiltshire property. In addition to the manor, the plat showed the stables, the original keep and the topography of areas not yet developed. Hermione was looking at the map and noticed a plot marked with 'Draco' about five kilometers from the main Manor. She tapped the name and saw a beautiful home appear. Slowly a three dimensional rendering rotated above the plot. The French provincial home was three stories had multiple bedrooms, a large kitchen, two dining rooms, a small ballroom and a library that encompassed the entire third floor. To Hermione the home was almost perfect, it had everything she had wanted in a home. The only things missing were a swimming pool and duck pond.

Draco sighed, he hadn't thought she'd tap his name. "It's not done yet, I want to add a couple things but need to get a better look at the land before I decide what is going where." Draco's blush was only noticed by Lucius as the rest of the family was looking at the gorgeous house.

"That is a very nice house, we have more than enough time to work on the details. Your mother and I are in no rush for you to move out. So that piece of the property is out. What about this one over here?" Draco was immensely happy when his father redirected the conversation. The other plot was about the same distance from the home Draco wanted to build, but bit farther from the Manor. Jean looked to the layout shown on the map and saw a creek that would run in the backyard. As she began to imagine what the house would look like and her eyes fluttered closed. To everyone's surprise a house started to draw on the map. The Tudor styled home began to materialize in the air as Jean's vision played out. Narcissa smiled, everyone has the ability for magic but not everyone could call it forth. It seemed Hermione's magic wasn't a totally random occurrence.

After tweaking the design and contacting the Malfoy family architect, the home would be ready to move in by the next Christmas holiday. In the meantime the Grangers would remain in the empty wing of Malfoy Manor for a bit longer. It had been the wing assigned to the second son (in the times when the Malfoy family had multiple sons) and as there had only been one son for multiple generations, the wing had simply been closed.

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After being at Malfoy Manor for a few days Hermione had fallen into a pattern, each morning she would eat breakfast and then spend the remainder of time until lunch in the library. She knew it was crazy, but she wanted to read as many of the books as possible before they moved into their new home. She had found a book about the Norman invasion and was surprised to find a large number of William's army were magical in nature.

The wizards who came across with the muggle conquerer were more worried about keeping their native magical counterparts hidden. According to the book, the ancients weren't killed, as the muggle's believed, but were protected and integrated into the new magical world. The first Malfoy was part of the invasion but had been selected by the highest priestess as her mate. The pair had many children who were among the first students to attend Hogwarts. Even before the Statue of Secrets was enacted, the Malfoys worked to ensure the muggles around them remained blissfully unaware what was directly beneath their nose.

Hermione was so engrossed in the book that she didn't notice when someone walked into the library and called her name. Crooks, who had found the window seat were Hermione read to be exceedingly comfortable, pawed at the young witch's leg until she snapped to attention. "What is it Crooks?" It was then she heard her mother's voice. "Sorry mum, I didn't hear, I'll be there in a second. I'm at the window seat." Jean's laugh floated to her daughter as she organized her books and thanked Crooks. As she came around the stacks she found not only her mother, but also Narcissa, Harry, Draco, Kitmu, Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall.

"Hermione dear, after some discussions with Severus and Minerva, we think it would be a good idea for your summer studies to include Transfiguration, in addition to the planned Potions lessons. We are going to discuss your schedule for the summer this morning." Narcissa seemed pretty no nonsense at the moment, not that it mattered to Hermione, she was excited about the chance to spend her summer increasing her knowledge of her new worl. She nodded and quickly moved to stand with Harry and Draco.

"Miss Granger, you may be unaware, but Harry and Draco are expected to take additional study during their summer. It's not as structured as Hogwarts but consists of coursework not available at the school. It is more focused on their individual tastes. As the summer progresses, we will determine what extra study you would like." Severus watched as the witch's eager expression turned to surprise and pleasure. It appeared the girl was unable to reject the opportunity to learn more. "It should also help to stabilize your core and give me and Minerva a better idea of just what you can do." The young witch nodded enthusiastically.

The group settled at a large table in the middle of the library. Kitmu handed out a schedule to each child and addressed Harry first. "Yous will be starting your language study on Monday. Have you practiced since as last summers?" The wizard shook his head and looked at the table. The elf just sighed and snapped his fingers. Harry's schedule rearranged and every morning was now dedicated to his language study. The change adjusted the timetable for the other two children.

Glancing down Hermione noticed with the exceptions of Tuesdays and Thursdays her days were open. Potions was scheduled for those mornings and Transfiguration on the afternoons. It now made sense why Professor McGonagall was there. There were open blocks on Monday and Wednesdays while Friday was identified as practical exercises. She looked to Draco's schedule and noticed his Transfiguration class was the same while his Potions was on Monday and Wednesday afternoons. His mornings were blocked out with nothing listed.

While Kitmu continued to quiz Harry to see how much would need to be taught again, Narcissa turned to Draco. "Once the new head for Hogwarts has been determined, your mornings will be with your father to learn more about the company. It will be good for you to be there since your father has been so involved with the school, he hasn't had enough time to stay totally abreast of everything there. Getting himself up to speed will help you to learn what all goes on there." Draco nodded knowing he had to understand what the company did but also knowing the company ran pretty smoothly. That was what allowed Lucius to expand into adapting the muggle technology. Running the company didn't mean that was all Draco would do for his life.

Hermione was nodding to herself when Professor Snape addressed the witch. "Is there something you'd like to share with the class Miss Granger?" The snarky man was quite interested in what she was thinking.

"Yes, ok…first of all, is this sort of extra education common in the magical world?" The older witches and wizards nodded to say that it was. "So, I don't think Harry and Draco's grasp of their magical core is really because they are younger or the curriculum at Hogwarts is sufficient for them. I think this extra work in the summer, even if they don't actively work on it during the year, helps them." Professors McGonagall and Snape contemplated the theory before they decided the theory had some merit.

Professor McGonagall nodded and began to open up to her students. "It's a reasonable thought. I grew up in a muggle village. My father was a muggle minister and didn't know my mother or I were witches until I was a few months old. And even then, magic was not performed at home." Minerva frowned at that, had her mother told her father the secret earlier would her life have been any different? Hermione just nodded and continued to fill in some blanks in her hypothesis.

It was Jean who brought the conversation back to topic. "It looks like Monday is going to be an early day for Draco and Harry. How will you determine what Hermione will do with her Monday and Wednesdays?" The conversation continued until lunch and at the end of it, Hermione was pleased to discover her additional study would be anything she found interesting and it could be muggle or magical. There were so many options and she couldn't decide which one would be a good place to start.

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Harry groaned at the realization it was Monday and his summer of relaxation was effectively over. Kitmu would have his head if he was late. The elf had spent the weekend speaking in multiple languages, in fact he would switch languages every few sentences. For the most part Harry was able to follow along but that wasn't sufficient for Kitmu. Harry had been told after a refresher of what he had already learned, the rest of the summer would be focused on magical creatures and their native languages.

After washing up and finding an appropriate outfit, Harry left his room to eat something before starting his day with the irate little elf. Harry settled himself next to Draco who had been discussing what he would be doing for the next few days. Lucius had reported the Regents voted over the weekend to offer the head position to an American witch. Sophia Mathews had almost immediately accepted when the offer was made. An agreement was easily reached and with that Hogwarts had a new headmistress. The Regents needed a few extra days to finalize the contract, which was why Draco's mornings would be open until later in the week.

Harry had just finished filling his plate when Hermione appeared as she would have at Hogwarts. The only difference was she didn't have her Gryffindor robes or tie, but she was dressed in a short sleeved Oxford and grey skirt. She also had her bag slung over her shoulder. "You know we don't have a dress code for summer classes?" Harry snickered before taking a bite of his toast. The young witch just shrugged and settled at the table as well.

"I wasn't sure and I'm looking forward to what Narcissa is going to teach me." Hermione had found herself a bit unsure on what she would learn during her open days and it was only after hearing Narcissa explain some of the traditions of the magical world that Hermione knew what she wanted. Narcissa was going to teach Jean and Hermione what all magical children were taught. Both Granger women were well mannered but they lacked some of the social protocols specific to the magical world. As Hermione became more confident in this her days would be occupied with something else, but she needed a foundation first.

Draco smiled to himself, he was wearing what he wore at Hogwarts as well. Lucius hadn't actually said they weren't going to the office and Draco liked to be prepared. "Mother mentioned something about dancing in a few weeks. I offered my toes to be of assistance." Hermione glared a bit before smiling. She hadn't quite forgot how nice it felt when they danced at New Years.

"Yes, maybe this time we can do something a bit more difficult." She shrugged and tucked into her own meal while Draco smiled. He too remembered the dance. It had been the most complex step he knew, but if she wanted more he would have to look into it. Draco looked to see his father eyeing him. The Malfoy men gave each other a slight nod and Draco knew Lucius would help him in order to impress the young witch.

Harry sighed as the grandfather clock chimed quarter until the hour. He had to get his things before meeting Kitmu in the classroom. Maybe Hermione had the right idea about bringing her bag with her. "I'll see you guys at lunch. I doubt Kitmu is going to let me out of the room before then." With a bit of a sigh the young wizard stood and left the room. After he was gone everyone chuckled at him.

"Kitmu isn't going to go easy on his this year and I suspect he won't allow Harry to neglect his studies next school year either." Lucius had been surprised at how quickly Harry had picked up languages as a child. Kitmu had taken to learning new languages and then taught them to the boy. By the time Harry had left for Hogwarts he was fluent in four languages other than English and could converse in another three. His understanding of the foundations of the different types of languages allowed him to understand languages even if he didn't speak them.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

By lunch Harry was exhausted and his brain felt like mush. Kitmu refused to allow Harry to speak English, French or Spanish for the entire morning. Those were the first languages Harry had learned and was easily able to slip into any of them. Instead the elf alternated randomly between Mandarin and Russian which seems impossible but the elf did it. And required Harry to answer verbally in Dutch and write the answers in Japanese. It had been an intense morning but Kitmu's ire seemed to have been subdued ever so slightly.

Harry found Hermione and Draco discussing something that sounded like the proper way to make introductions at various events. Harry had found etiquette lessons to be incredibly boring as a child, but he was used to them he supposed. Hermione was reveling in learning something new and he wasn't going to begrudge her. "I never thought I'd say it, but I'm looking forward to what Severus has planned. Kitmu was relentless this morning."

The boys knew the general plan was for them to take a practice potions OWL at the end of the coming school year. Neither were exactly excited about it but knew it would give them some solid idea on where they were in the subject. Hermione's afternoon was open and she planned on spending it in the library but wondered if Professor Snape would allow her to sit in the class and just listen.

"Miss Granger don't even think about asking. If you are there the boys will not be focused and the fifth year curriculum requires total focus. As I'm sure you'll find in a couple of years." Hermione hadn't seen Professor Snape enter the room and she wondered how he knew what she was going to ask him. The man just raised an eyebrow at the girl who shrugged. "I've found your expressions to be relatively simple to read. Once Harry brought up the afternoon you had a whimsical look in your eye. There are many things you learn in your second and third year that are now second nature to the boys. You will ask questions, it's just your personality. I will teach it all to you and that starts tomorrow morning, but for now just enjoy your time away from them. Boys you have 30 minutes until I expect you in the lab." With that the man left the room in his billowing robes.

"I've never realized it, but he wears robes all the time. No wonder he set up the lab in the dungeon. He'd have a heat stroke if he wore that outfit in the rest of the house." Draco nodded in agreement with Harry before they began to eat their lunch.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

As the fifth year course detail was placed in front of Harry and Draco, they read it over with surprised expressions. "Yes, as I said upstairs, starting in fifth year the course gets drastically more difficult. We will not complete the entire year of study before the end of the summer as we have in prior years. Once I've received your schedules for the year I'll determine the best way to continue. I expect us to finish the coursework by the end of the second term and as you are aware, I want for both of you to take the OWL. However, I suspect the test will not be a practice, but the actual OWL. So be aware of this now, if you do not get a grade of outstanding, I will not allow you to continue into the sixth and seventh year courses. You have almost a full twelve months to prepare for the test. Understand?" The surprise and worry were etched on the faces of each boy before they nodded with a bit of nervousness. Neither wanted to fail the man.

After seeing the boys grasped the gravity of the situation, Severus continued the introduction. "Headmistress Mathews was intrigued by some of our ideas on advancing students but does not want to implement that plan this year. Hopefully by your third year and assuming you've achieved the appropriate grade, I can have you placed with the sixth years but there are some logistic and timing issues with that." The boys continued to nod a slightly dazed look. "However, none of that matters just now. Let's begin with the lecture and see just how much you remember." Harry groaned as those were almost the same words Kitmu had used before starting the language class.

After spending almost two hours recapping the fourth year curriculum and questioning both boys on various ingredients, potions and techniques, Severus started to discuss the main topics to be covered during the entire fifth year. It was when he started listing the potions they would prepare the boys both sat up straight. "I will always be present when you brew these potions. You will not be allowed to test the potions without me and above all, the polyjuice potion will be held under protection charms. I have seen the potion be used for quite dubious endeavors." It wasn't as if they had an option to disagree so the boys just nodded, again.

By the time four rolled around the boys were ready for the day to be over so they were surprised when they found Rich standing in the hallway waiting for them. "We've decided in addition to what you are learning we need to keep you active. That's why you'll all be going for a run with me every evening. I've had Kitmu lay out your clothes. Go change, Hermione and I will meet you at the front door."

Draco was the first down the steps and met Hermione who was glaring at her father. "Yeah I didn't know about this either. I had just found an amazing…" Hermione was cut off by her father.

"Yes we know dear, an amazing book that has been on that shelf for at least one hundred years, it will still be there in a few hours." Hermione glared a bit at her dad before huffing her response. She then turned to Draco.

"How was your afternoon? How was potions?" Hermione was surprisingly earnest in her desire to hear what her boys learned. Draco glanced up the stairs to see Harry coming down the stairs with a slow gait.

"Good, I'll tell you about it on the run. Hopefully your dad doesn't make us sprint. I'd be ok with a run like we did at school." Agreeing, Hermione and Draco waited for Harry to arrive at their side. "Do we know whose idea this was?" Draco looked to Rich who was watching with joy. "Mr. Granger, did you invite my father? You know he and Uncle Reg have started to enjoy this."

With a bit of a chuckle Rich responded. "Yes, your father should be down shortly. Regulus said he was busy but Kitmu spoke with Kreacher and I suspect he will show up soon." After getting to know Rich, Draco was pretty sure he and Jean both would have been placed in Slytherin had they received letters. While they were waiting Hermione stretched and complained about sitting all day. No one mentioned she opted to sit in the library all afternoon.

Lucius appeared once the boys had started their own stretches and headed toward the door before Harry stopped him. "Rich said Reg was coming. Apparently he got Kitmu onboard with this and obviously Kreacher was then involved. Don't expect him to be happy either." Lucius nodded and taking the opportunity to stretch his quads a bit. It wasn't ten minutes later the floo was heard followed by the grumbling of Regulus.

"I did not agree to this. The elf has turned against me and threatened to use the reductor curse on my chair! MY CHAIR!" Lucius and Rich were bent over laughing while the children watched the scene in front of them. Regulus continued to complain about the threat made to the chair, all without acknowledging the responses from those in the entryway. It was really just a chair, comfortable or not, it was just a chair.

"What's the reductor curse?" Hermione hadn't seen that spell in any of her _Standard Book of Spells_ and suddenly wondered if there were other books that taught spells. Lucius and Rich both saw the excited look in the young witch's eye.

"After we've finished the run and eaten dinner, I'll show you all what the spell is and why we learn spells and not throw them with no knowledge of their power or purpose." In her excitement, Hermione didn't wait for anyone else and was out the door just behind her father. "That confirms it Draco, if you want Hermione to do something, promise her knowledge." The rest of those standing in the entryway quickly caught up with Grangers.

Three hours later with the run complete and those who participated clean, everyone finished their dinner and Hermione was trying not to bounce in her chair waiting for Lucius to finish his pudding. Lucius, in turn, was watching the young witch and wondered just how long it would take before she cracked and started to ask questions again. Draco was alternating his gaze between Hermione and his father. He suspected his father was messing with Hermione but he wasn't going to let the witch embarrass herself because his father was feeling feisty.

"Father if you are ready, the sun is going to set soon. I'm as interested as Hermione in seeing the spell in action." With a cool look Draco turned his head toward his father and Lucius let out a sigh before popping the last bite of pudding in his mouth.

"Yes fine, outside everyone." To Lucius's surprise the Grangers, Narcissa and Regulus all walked out to the gardens as well. "Usher." The little elf appeared next to Lucius and waited to hear why he was called. "Would you be able to find a dead tree or large log on the grounds? I wanted to demonstrate something for the children." The elf nodded and within a minute a large log was set on the far edge of the lawn. "This is spell destroys solid objects and turns them into nothing more than dust." Lucius turned, drew his wand and shouted _Reducto_ at the log with a quick movement of his wrist, a bright blue bolt shot from the wand tip and hit the log. The resulting sawdust floated in the air for a moment before falling to the grass.

Harry and Draco had heard of the spell but never seen it and were in a state of awe. Hermione's eyes were wide as dinner plates as she watched the last bit of sawdust settle. Suddenly she realized magic was awesome and powerful and potentially very deadly if used the wrong way.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N - Chapter two - enjoy.**_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Sophie Mathews hadn't really expected to be offered the headmistress position at Hogwarts, but she wasn't going to look that particular gift hippogriff in the mouth. Alfonso, Sophie's husband had left to picked up the special portkeys that would be needed to move their personal belongings. The pair's children had grown, married and started their own families. The children, now adults, had remained in America when Sophie and Alfonso moved to Brazil when the Castelbruxo offer was made. Sophie found it difficult to think about how much farther away she would be from the rest of her family was the move was finalized.

There was an agreement between the Northern and Southern American Ministries allowing for easy floo travel. That made it simple to visit the children, but moving to England negated that option. International floo travel across the Atlantic was not possible, in fact the only way to do it would be hoping between the various ministries on the North Atlantic. When Sophie asked how easy that would be, the Regents explained the amount of paperwork was more than what it took to get a portkey. And that process was ridiculous enough.

As she flipped through her family album, she watched as the photos played on their loop. Her grandchildren were growing, but not yet grown, and she would miss the chance to watch them discover themselves. But, she still had years of life in her and Castelbruxo's headmaster was younger than she. It was rare for a school as prominent as Hogwarts to openly interview for a head position and Sophie knew the competition had been fierce.

With a sigh, the witch closed the album and placed it in the box just next to the now empty bookcase. After discussing the job with her husband, the pair decided to rent their home in Brazil until, well, they hadn't decided for how long. It really was going to depend on how well she got along at Hogwarts. Her thoughts turned toward the well know magical school and the small mound of papers related to her new role. The basics of the job were obvious but it was what the Regents were planning with regard to the coursework that had her overly excited.

Their plan seemed to mirror what some muggle schools had been doing for a couple of decades. The expansion of traditional course tracks, to allow multiple tracks based on the student's ability and not their age, was something she'd longed to do at both Ilvermorny and Castelbruxo. The reason it hadn't been implemented was due to the work to set up both multiple teaching plans for each of the tracks and determining which students would be in each track.

Hogwarts seemed to believe the extra effort was worth it and the responsibility for creating the multiple teaching plans, one for each of their standard and advanced classes, as well as determine which of the tracks each student would attend. Once Sophie arrived, one of her first responsibilities will be to work with the teachers to determine the timetable for the multiple sets of classes.

In addition to the multiple course tracks, the school was also looking into expanding the number of professors. She remembered the days of teaching an entire school and the work that went into that endeavor. A missive from Lucius Malfoy had just arrived and provided her the listing of the prospective new professors and asking her input. The list was quite impressive and would only solidify Hogwarts as the most desirable school for magical children. She wouldn't be surprised if in a few years there weren't an influx of people moving to Britain just so their children could attend the school. After finishing her review and making some notes, she settled into her chair and began to read '_Hogwarts: A History_' it would be good to get a little more insight into her new home.

The book seemed to be relatively benign in discussing the school but, in some ways that made sense, why detail the issues. She found much interest in the founders of the school. The four were noted as close friends but all had markedly different beliefs in how the school should be ran and that led to the destruction of their friendship. But if these differences were so ingrained how were the four able to agree on the school in the first place. As an American, Sophie found a few topics were never discussed in proper company, but were allowable in private. Politics was one of them and it seemed the differences experienced by the Founders were really political in nature. She was interested in how those four became friends or if they were actually friends at all. Once she was at Hogwarts she would look for additional material on the four and see if there is something else to the story.

The interest in the founders led her to think about the connection to her own alma mater and first teaching position. Ilvermorny had been established by one the last female descendants of Salazar Slytherin. Slytherin wasn't a secret, everyone knew the relationship between the wizard and Isolt Sayre, but it wasn't a very interesting topic and rarely was part of conversations. When an idea popped into Sophie's head, she dashed off a note to Ilvermorny's headmaster and asked if she could access the school's library. Maybe she could start her legacy at Hogwarts with the addition of some new information.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Crookshanks had found living at the home of the light haired wizard's family to be adequate. In reality the half-kneazle had found the gardens extremely enjoyable and learned the more gnomes he rid from the garden the better the elves fed him. He had been tracking a small group of the nasty beasts for the last few days and had finally identified their burrow. With any luck they would be gone before dinner.

As Crooks slunk into the hedgerow and made his way toward the gnome hole, Hermione watched the cat with a wide smile as she let the sun warm her skin. She knew Crooks would love living here as much as she was. She began to muse over the last couple of weeks and found while her days had been chalked full of unexpected but exciting classwork, her evenings were learning more about the history of the magical world. It had taken her until yesterday before she could traverse the halls of the manor without getting lost or having to call Kitmu to get her back to some known area.

One of the places she tended to avoid now was the back gallery where some of the older family portraits were housed. She had wondered into the gallery one afternoon and was accosted by a number of the portraits before Lucius and Draco came sprinting around the corner. Draco pulled her out toward the hallway while Lucius remained and did something. All that Hermione knew was there were now a dozen or so silent portraits who had been locked into their frames. Apparently none of those portraits were pleased with their current predicament.

From that day Hermione made an effort to avoid any area with portraits, but the day before Draco had brought her into the solarium and pointed to a portrait that hadn't been there previously. "This is my Grandmother Malfoy, Dad's mum. She passed away when I was really young. She has been asking to meet you since we went back to Hogwarts in January and Dad finally agreed. I don't really know what she wants to say so if she starts yelling we are leaving immediately." Hermione acknowledged the comment but her focus was on the regal woman standing in the frame who had a slight smile on her face. "Grandmother, this is my best friend Hermione Granger." Draco licked his lips ready to leave at a moment's notice.

"Draco, I'm pleased to see you. Now if you will allow me to address Miss Granger." Draco opened his mouth but Hermione gripped his arm and shook her head. This made the Malfoy matriarch's grin grew into a wide smile. "I like her. Both of you sit." The portrait waved toward two chairs Hermione swore hadn't been there a moment before. Shrugging at Draco, Hermione sat in the chair before looking to Draco with a touch of impatience. Once seated, both children turned to the witch in the painting who had also sat and waited for her to speak. Marguerite Malfoy watched her grandson before shifting her gaze to the muggleborn witch that had put the house into a frenzy. "It seems Miss Granger your family has cause quite the ruckus with some of the other portraits." Marguerite noticed Draco again preparing to defend the girl. "Draco, I'm not defending those closed minded imbeciles. Your grandfather and I were the ones to move them to that back gallery and ward it. I had no desire to deal with them either. I would like you to tell me about your life before Hogwarts." Looking to Draco and finding him slightly confused but not upset, Hermione started to tell her story.

Draco had forgotten how much he enjoyed speaking with his grandmother and was happy to see she seemed to like Hermione as well. Marguerite DuFraine was the second child of a prestigious French family. When it came time for Nicholas Malfoy to find a suitable wife for his son, his first stop was the French countryside. There were options in Britain but Nicholas felt it would do better for Abraxas and the line if they extended themselves into other family lines. The DuFraine family produced some of the world's finest wine and would infuse not only money and land, but the continental influence the Malfoy family had been lacking for a few generations. Marguerite and Abraxas had been instant friends and for Nicholas that was sufficient. The marriage contract between the pair was finalized on Abraxas's ninth birthday. By the time Abraxas had finished at Hogwarts, Marguerite moved to a Malfoy property on the south coast to start planning their wedding.

Draco was pulled out of his family history lesson when Hermione tapped his arm. "Your grandmother was asking about your studies." Hissing the rest of the statement, Hermione continued. "It's rude to ignore your elders." Marguerite found herself liking the young girl more and more.

"Not to worry Miss Granger, Draco has always done that. As a young child he would go on and on about whatever thought had distracted him. I suspect if we asked he would tell us but, let's not. Draco, Lucius was telling me you've started at the company. You have always known what you wanted, tell me what you think of it." Marguerite looked to her grandson waiting for the boy to respond.

"I do apologize Grandmother, I was thinking about your childhood in France and Hermione, Grandmother is correct that I was distracted by a stray thought." He smiled and bowed his head slightly. Hermione couldn't tell if he was truly embarrassed or just playing them. "The company is very interesting. As when Grandfather ran it, most of those divisions are still clicking right along. I'm sure Father has told you about his new endeavor. It seems to have even more potential than he projected. It was a bit overwhelming at first, but I've found myself now." Draco suspected his grandmother must have had a second sense about her because she always seemed to know when he wasn't saying something. Looking to Hermione he tried to avoid the pointed gaze he knew the portrait was giving him.

"What aren't you telling me Dragon?" Hermione had never heard anyone actually called Draco that. Sometimes Narcissa would use the term when she spoke with Jean about their children's differing childhoods but no one actually called Draco the nickname. With a deep sigh the blond wizard responded.

"Grandmother, I haven't been called that for years." The portrait clicked her tongue and continued to look at the boy until his resolve broke. "Fine, as always Grandmother you are correct. Since January I've been thinking about how Father runs the company but has always had his side projects. The company runs itself, we all know it. So I've been trying to figure out what my side project will be. And I think I want to run a quidditch team." By the time he had finished, Draco was flush and looking to his feet. "I know it's not something a Malfoy would do, but it's something I want to do."

Marguerite's head cocked to the side before she started to laugh. Draco had never heard his grandmother laugh so heartily. "My dear, there is nothing to be ashamed of with that dream. In fact, you and your Grandfather share that desire. I wonder…". The portrait's voice wondered off in thought for a moment. "I think it's time for you both to head for lunch. Miss Granger, it was a pleasure to finally meet you and if my son will allow it, I will be able to access some of the other portrait frames in the sitting rooms and we can continue our discussions." With that the regal woman stood from her chair and exited the portrait. Both were a bit surprised at the abrupt exit but distracted when Kitmu popped in and told them it was lunch time.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

As the warmth of late June turned in the heat of mid-July, Lucius hadn't been home much, the Regents had met with Headmistress Mathews and the professors. After many discussions, the group had identified which applicants would be offered positions at Hogwarts for the coming year. If anyone rejected the offer, there was a secondary choice; however, the group hoped their first choices would accept. The Regents had sent offers out and to their relief they had received positive responses from all. The new professors were expected to arrive at Hogwarts before August 15th. Since they now had a headmistress and all the professor positions were filled, Lucius was looking forward to a bit of relaxation and some firewhiskey. He smiled as he brought the rather heavy pour of amber perfection to his lips. He almost dropped the crystal tumbler when a dainty throat cleared. Turning, expecting to see Narcissa, Lucius was surprised to see his mother.

"Mother, how? I thought…". Lucius was surprised as his mother had never entered his study and he had thought she was warded from it.

"Firewhiskey? Lucius really, I thought we had raised you better. The cellars are full of DuFraine's finest vintages and you select that." Marguerite had remained forever loyal to wine and especially proud of what her family had done. The witch continued to watch her son until he set the crystal tumbler on the sidebar and sighed.

"Of course Mother. Usher." The elf appeared and it surprised no one when he placed a glass of red on the sidebar next to the tumbler of amber liquid. When the elf left, so did the glass of firewhiskey. Taking a sip, Lucius knew his mother was right, as the wine seemed to match his mood a bit more. "As always Mother, you are correct. Now, what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? By the by, this is the first time I've known you could access this room." Lucius worried as he and Narcissa would use the room when they wanted some private time.

"Do not worry Son, your father and I do not intrude when you and Cissy are here. You aren't the first head of the family who enjoyed the privacy this room provides." Marguerite chuckled as she watched her son's cheeks turn a lovely shade of red. "Your blush is still the color of the finest rosé we ever produced." Lucius just shook his head and smiled. "But to answer your question, I do have a purpose. Thank you for allowing me to speak with Miss Granger, she is lovely and I see a lot of me in her. We've had a wonderful couple of conversations since. She doesn't take anything from Draco and I think he needs that. During our first talk I got Draco to tell me about his time at the company and it seems he is more like you and your father than I realized."

Lucius was intrigued with what his mother had discovered. He had tried to get Draco to open up about what was obviously bothering him but could never quite get it out of him. Marguerite had always been able to get any Malfoy man to tell her whatever she wanted to know. "What is it? I've been trying to get him to tell me for months." Lucius loved hearing his mother laugh as she was now.

"He acknowledged that like you and your father, the company runs itself. You are all just figureheads who find something to entertain yourself with while the company does its thing." Lucius nodded, Draco had always known this. "I believe his life goals have shifted slightly. I remember when he was a boy, he and Mr. Potter would run through the halls pretending to be quidditch players. Once they got their brooms, they would do the same over the grounds."

Again Lucius nodded, Draco had never been able to keep that desire a secret, but now he didn't talk about playing. Lucius remembered the games at Hogwarts where Draco's heart just didn't seem to be in it. "Yes, Mum but something's changed. These last six or so months, he hasn't once mentioned playing and even playing on the house team, he isn't as invested as I had expected." Lucius shrugged and took another sip of the wine enjoying the blackcurrant flavor as it shifted toward the black cherry notes he truly enjoyed.

"My boy, he has just decided playing isn't for him. But, he still loves the game and has decided his goal is to run a team." Marguerite watched her son with a knowing look. Lucius had a shocked expression before laughing himself. "I assume you haven't informed your son of all the businesses his grandfather had a hand in." Shaking his head no, Lucius smiled, all was right in the world.

"Thank you Mum, I think Cissy and I need to discuss some things before I speak with Draco." Smiling to her child, the witch smoothly left the portrait over the fireplace.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

August's heat rolled over the country and the children found themselves easily fatigued when they were outdoors. Their summer was blurring by with scenes of classwork, family time and exploring the Malfoy estate. The second week of August saw Harry rolling his head from his right shoulder to his left. Kitmu hadn't let up and it was exhausting the now twelve year old wizard. The elf had just told him there wasn't anything else to do but practice. Harry silently hoped for sleep before he agreed with the elf.

Even though the weather was warm the sky was perfect for a fly, Harry just didn't have the energy. Standing he made it to the couch in the room and promptly collapsed before falling into a deep, drool-ladened sleep. Kitmu stood to the side and watched the young wizard. He knew Harry was near his breaking point but the boy was picking up the languages almost faster than Kitmu could throw them at him. Today they reached the end of what Kitmu knew. Not that Harry knew that.

Kitmu had told the young wizard they would break until Monday and then start a new language. The elf quietly left the property and went to his uncle who knew even more languages that Kitmu. Gibby was an old elf who had been part of a prominent family for generations. The family had died out, in a way, and Gibby had been left without a family to serve.

The elf community, knowing of Gibby's skill, spoke highly of the elf to their respective families. In the end, Gibby became the most sought after language teacher and had just returned home from an extended assignment on the continent. When Kitmu told him of Harry's ability, the old elf was quite excited. Only a few witches or wizards had the talent pick up the various languages of magical creatures, but Harry Potter was one such wizard. The pair of elves returned to the classroom to find Harry was still asleep on the couch.

Gibby stood next to Kitmu and listened to young wizard as he mumbled in his sleep. Harry slipped between languages, both elves were following the dream and laughing to themselves. "I believe this boy can learn it. We will see on Monday." Gibby then popped off the property and returned to his home. With a sigh, he entered the small room where all the papers and books from his lost family were stored. He began to search for the oldest writings therein.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Early Monday morning, Hermione finished her breakfast when three owls arrived and settled on the perches by the large windows. Glancing at what they carried Hermione immediately recognized the Hogwarts seal. "Our letters are here." Hermione jumped from her chair and ran to the owl who was holding out his leg. She had returned to her seat and started to read the letter before either boy had made it the owls. "I have the option to take the advanced classes in every class where it is offered!" The witch was giddy with excitement even though everyone at the table knew it was going to happen.

Lucius chuckled before addressing the children. "Shocking. You will already have learned everything that will be taught in Transfiguration and Potions. Each of you will be expected to use this time to perfect the tasks assigned. Additionally, as with Potions, you will have one night a week with Minerva to continue with your Transfiguration. We are hopeful that Headmistress Mathews will allow us to move you into the appropriate classes starting your third year. This will allow you the extra study time you'll need as you start to move toward your OWL year."

Narcissa and Jean discussed what supplies the children would need. After a bit of thought they scheduled a trip to Diagon Alley for Friday afternoon. The timing was based on when Blaise was schedule to arrive. He would spend the final couple weeks of the summer holiday with the Malfoys. After hearing the plan and agreeing to it, the children went off for their Monday morning lessons. Hermione and Draco went to the music room while Harry went to meet Kitmu for his first lesson after the short break. Harry was met by Kitmu and another elf who looked older that Kreacher. "This is Gibby. Hes be teaching you a new language." Gibby gazed at the boy and nodded.

"The ability to speak this language is nearly lost. There is only one still with the knowledge, but has not the mind to understand." For some reason, Harry knew this would be really important and wanted to tell Hermione about it. "The language of the serpent was handed down from parent to child since the time before Hogwarts. It is not a language you learn, it is one you just know. To have this ability shows a magic that is deeper and older than most. It is to be cherished." The old elf stopped speaking and looked to the boy.

"I understand. I'm willing to learn." The old elf looked to the boy while Kitmu openly stared at the young wizard as he finished hissing his response.

Gibby turned to Kitmu before dismissing him. "We will be fine. Come for us at lunch time." The Malfoy elf left the Potter heir with the only remaining Gaunt elf.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While Harry was shocking Kitmu, Hermione and Draco were meeting with Aster in the music room. As an elfling, Aster had found her talents related to music. Once a week the pair spent their morning dancing. Since the idea had been proposed, Draco spent some of his time at Malfoy Industries learning new dances. Lucius had no issues with using a bit of time to make sure his son was prepared to impress the young witch. Hermione, of course, had spoken with her father and started to practice with him. She didn't want to be rusty when the dance lessons started.

Aster, knowing her wards were practicing on their own, made sure the instruction was just above their current level. All elves learned early on the need to push their witches and wizards to just beyond their believed limits. Those witches and wizards were slightly more driven to succeed than others. Elves also gossiped and the more success the witch or wizard, the higher the elf's status.

Aster smiled at the pair as they spun around the floor, they were both excellent dancers on their own, but when they were paired the moves were in perfect sync. Narcissa and Jean, hidden in the doorway as they watched their children, whispered to each other. "In the muggle world, they have dance competitions, they would win." Narcissa thought having dance competitions should be something the magical world did.

"I think we should have a celebration before they leave. Lucius accuses me of making up reasons to have a party. Maybe it's true, but wouldn't you make up a reason for them to dance?" It was Jean's turn to nod in agreement before her eyes widened a bit.

"I have an idea." The glint of mischief that danced in Jean's eyes was more than enough for the Slytherin inside of Narcissa to follow without question. When the pair had made their way into Narcissa's private sitting room Jean spoke. "Rich's fortieth birthday was last summer just before we met you. He didn't want a party so we went to dinner at his favorite restaurant and had cake afterwards. For our life last year, it was enough. But his birthday is next weekend. Why don't we have a fortieth plus one birthday party for him?" Narcissa seemed a bit confused on the whole thing number thing which Jean immediately recognized. "Muggles celebrate every birthday much like magicals, but on the passage to a new decade, like thirty, forty, fifty, etc, the celebrations are a bit grander."

Narcissa's eyes lit up with amusement. "Yes, I think that seems like an excellent idea. Lucius was a late summer baby too and will be celebrating his forty-second birthday at the end of the month. I think a dual celebration would be the way to handle this." With giggles the pair of woman began to plan the first birthday party that would come mark the end of summer for decades to come.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

When the idea for an end of summer celebration was suggested the next morning both men just rolled their eyes and agreed to whatever their wives wanted would be wonderful. Neither man really was a fan of party planning and had learned years before it was just easier to agree. Rich always made sure these fêtes were in his day planner while Lucius relied on Usher to remind him. As both men were reading The Prophet, neither noticed the pair of wicked smirks that crossed the faces of their wives.

While Lucius and Rich were blissfully unaware there were plots afoot, the children had immediately noticed something was going on. As the week progressed their mothers were becoming more and more excited. When Blaise arrived, he was quickly brought to speed on what the prevailing theories were on the party. The young boy immediately started to include his own thoughts.

With Blaise's arrival, the designated Diagon Alley shopping trip arrived as well and while the main purpose was to pick up what was needed for the coming school year, Narcissa and Jean also had party decorations on the list of items. After the group arrived, they first went to Gringotts. The goblins, who were still overly genial to the Grangers, asked Hermione some questions about her favorite colors, thoughts on metal types and her preference in jewelry. They placed photo after photo in front of the girl and asked her if she liked the items. The witch was a bit flummoxed but answered each question to the best of her ability. The goblins were overall pleased and bowed deeply to the group before heading off to do some sort of paperwork. Hermione looked to Narcissa who gave an elegant shrug before ushering everyone back out to the street. Narcissa just hoped whatever the goblins made would work with Hermione's style in ten or so years.

The group purchased all the school supplies first and Narcissa shrunk everything to fit in the one bag Jean carried. After stopping at the magical party supply store and purchasing what seemed like the entire store, Narcissa directed everyone toward the far end of the Alley and the muggle entrance. Once in the muggle world, Jean hailed a cab and directed the driver to the closest decorations shop.

The drive was a bit more harrowing than Blaise, Draco or Harry expected while Hermione happily chatted with Narcissa and her mum about the party. She had recognized a few of the things Narcissa picked up and wanted in on the planning. Once Jean had directed the driver to the shop, Hermione was positive the party would be for Lucius and her dad. "Dad loves to embarrass me on my birthday. I want some payback. Did you think about baby pictures?"

Hermione was still a bit sore about the present Rich had sent to Hogwarts for her birthday the prior school year. The present itself was fine, she needed a new quill box, but the lid was covered with embarrassing photos of Hermione from her toddler days. The largest was one of her 'teaching' her stuffed animals. The boys had snickered about how adorable Hermione was for weeks. She let it slide because they didn't really know any better, but her dad? Oh, he knew better.

"Of course you may Hermione. In fact, I will love to foster your Slytherin side a bit more. You may have been placed in Gryffindor but I believe you would have made a great snake." Narcissa whispered to the girl.

"When we get back to the house remind me to tell you about that." Needless to say, once Narcissa had heard the complete story of the first train ride and the sorting, she was silently pleased at the girl's loyalty to her new friend but wondered what would have happened if the three of them had been sorted into the same house.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While Hogwarts students everywhere were spending their time preparing for their return and enjoying the time before the start of the next school year, the staff were finishing up their teaching plans for the year. It had been decided the only course not to have an 'advanced' track would be History of Magic. None of the students knew much more than the various goblin uprisings and none knew anything outside of the boundaries of magical Britain.

Nelson Hörstel was a German wizard who had spent the last three decades studying magical history on an international perspective and wrote a number of books on the topic. History of Magic was now a core course and was required to be taken all seven years. The first four years would focus on a different hemisphere and the magic found there. The fifth and sixth year courses would break the magical world into the pre-Roman Empire and post eras. The final year would be a candid discussion on the magical wars over the centuries. This would not be why the wars were morally wrong, but what caused some faction of the population to believe attacks, murder and destruction were the way to achieve their goal.

When the plan had been presented to the Regents and Headmistress all were extremely impressed with what the course would soon be. Nelson was shocked to be given immediate approval for his plans and the ability to access any documents he might require to assist in his planning. Lucius had hoped the course would be good, but this was even beyond his hope.

Divination was another course that was in dire need of updating. Sybil's ability was always suspect but proving one way or another was difficult. At the bare minimum, the cooky witch understood the basics of the topic. Her student reviews were typically the worst of all the professors, very few of the students had anything positive to say while all the other professors had more good reviews than negative ones. When the list of prospective professors had been floated past the new headmistress, Sophie noticed Divination did not have any additional professors listed. She asked if Hogwarts was in need of a second divination professor strictly based on all the other courses. The wizard Sophie suggested had been a student at Castelbruxo who graduated five years earlier and was found to have the most interesting visions.

Paulo Oliveira was a wizard from a small wizarding community near Cuiba. The village was actually in the Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park. The protected land of the Brazilian national parks were actually under the purview of the Brazilian Ministry of Magic as the lands housed the majority of the magical population in addition to Castelbruxo. Paulo's ability differed from most other seers in that he saw and remembered the visions. This allowed for the visions to be set as a pensive which reduced the prospect of prophesies being twisted to fit the desires of those hearing it. Paulo had become much sought after and there was a fear of him being taken in order to gain his power. After discussions with the Regents, the offer to Paulo was sent with all the other offers. He had been the first of the new professors to arrive at Hogwarts.

As he crossed the wards and viewed Hogwarts, he had his first vision in months. Hearing a distinctive hiss, Paulo turned and saw a boitatá slithering away from Hogwarts and toward a destination unknown.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

In the final week before the students would return, the elves of Hogwarts were hard at work ensuring the dorms were ready for the students, the classrooms were clean and the Great Hall was ready to accept the new batch of children. Sophie Mathews sat in the facility meeting room with all her professors. The increase in professors caused the castle to expand the room in order to comfortably accommodate the group. They were discussing how the first night would go after Lucius Malfoy opened the school year. Sophie learned prior to this year, the Board of Regents had very little insight into the school and they were intent on changing that fact. It was fine with Sophie, she was used to a board overseeing the school as both Ilvermorny and Castelbruxo boards were actively involved in the school.

"After Mr. Malfoy finishes his introductions, I will welcome the new first years. Minerva, are you still interested in handling the sorting ceremony or would you prefer assistance or to pass it onto someone else all together?" Minerva's face detailed her shock at the question, it was part of her role as the Deputy Headmistress to oversee the sorting ceremony.

"I would prefer to keep it as it is part of the responsibilities as Deputy." Minerva wasn't sure what the new Headmistress was playing at but wanted to make sure her responsibilities were clear.

"I think that came across differently than I had intended. One of the differences in our cultures. Let me try this again. Minerva, as Deputy you have the responsibility to ensure all the students make their way from the train to the carriages or boats, you then have to make sure they all arrive at the castle. After that, you have to sort the first years from the rest of the students before leading them into the Hall and then run the entire sorting ceremony. To me, it seems like a lot of the responsibility was dropped in your lap. Responsibilities that should have been shared between the head, deputy head and other professors. I would like to be more involved and if you are willing to allow it, let me know how I can help." On of Sophie's greatest worries with this job, was how her personalty would affect the relationship with her staff. She was upset to find the school year hadn't started yet and she had already run afoul of her deputy.

"Sophie, I apologize, after last year I am still a bit touchy. You are correct, over the years more and more has been put at my feet and I would honestly love some help. Hagrid has been great with getting the first years to the boats, but to have someone else at the station would be wonderful. If you would like to read off the names while I place the hat, that would make the whole process move more swiftly as well." The witches looked at each other and nodded. Their relationship was new but both hoped it would strengthen over the coming terms and for years to come.

"That sounds wonderful and I would love to stand next to you at the door. If one of our returning professors wouldn't mind taking the responsibility related to the station, it would be appreciated. I would also like for one of our new professors to accompany. It would allow the students to begin to see the new faces and for the new faces to get a feel for the students." The staff meeting hadn't been long but Sophie felt it went over well. Severus Snape, her potions professor, had volunteered to be at the station when the train arrived and direct the students to the carriages. As soon as Severus's hand had been acknowledged, her new Transfiguration professor, Aurora Messerly, offered to accompany as well, with a bit of a blush.

"I think that is all, but Minerva and Severus if you wouldn't mind hanging back for a moment. I have a few other questions." Sophie didn't want them to be defensive but she wanted to understand something she had learned and didn't want to embarrass them in front of their colleagues. After the last of the professors left, Sophie softly shut the door and motioned for the pair to sit. "I was speaking with Lucius on the class schedules and he happened to mention that you have both been providing additional tutelage to his son and two others. I'm trying to understand the background. It isn't a common occurrence from my experience and I'm not sure if it is something I should be concerned with or not."

Minerva and Severus both understood her concerns to an extent but it was something that did occur in Britain with some regularity. Minerva turned to Severus since his role with boys had been going on for years. "Sophie, I have been working with Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy since they were young boys. The Malfoys and I have been friends for years and I am Draco's godfather. When I started my mastery, I spent time in the Malfoy library cross referencing and found the boys followed me around. Once they were old enough to understand I began to teach them the basics of potions and at this point I expect them to sit their Potions OWLs at the end of this school year and their NEWT while the rest of their class is studying for their OWLs." The headmistress had a very understanding look in her eyes.

"Yes, the children or children close to masters are always at an advantage in those subject. But where does Hermione Granger fit into this. She's a what you call a muggleborn, yes? Her parents are non-maj?" Minerva, who was still a bit touchy with the events of the year prior, looked to her colleague for him to explain.

"Correct. Hermione's parents are muggles; however, they are integrating themselves into the magical world. Due to the former headmaster's actions, they wanted to help other muggle parents understand their child's power and the Wizengamot agreed to this. This summer they have met with the muggleborn families who are starting this year, the families are better prepared for everything they will encounter. They are also working to locate the muggleborns that were denied their chance at Hogwarts. That is turning out to be a bit more difficult; however, Hermione gets her perseverance from her parents. I expect them to finish locating all the missing families in the near future." Minerva placed her hand on Severus's arm, stopping him before he could continue.

"I'm sure Lucius will provide you with everything that was discovered over the last year, if he hasn't already, I wanted to mention the current low levels of muggleborns is something that has worried me for years. I believe it's something not to be discussed now, but I will be available whenever you would like to understand more." Minerva bowed her head allowing Severus to continue.

"Hermione was born in September and will be thirteen two weeks after the start of classes. We found at the end of her first year her magic was not sufficiently used with the coursework. After some personal observations and discussions with Minerva and other friends, I realized the girl needed more magical stimulus in order for her magic to calm. This summer has proved the girl to be one of the more powerful children I've experienced in my tenure here. She finished the second year potions course work and I believe has completed the Transfiguration work as well." Minerva nodded before picking up the story.

"I had something similar as a young witch. It's common in more traditional wizarding families to continue a child's education during the summer and holidays as a way to ground their magic. Miss Granger pointed this out and it's a reasonable to conclude the additional classes help the students. I will say, we aren't the only professors to offer this sort of assistance, as you mentioned children close to masters are at an advantage. The issue with Miss Granger isn't with Miss Granger at all, it's her experience and inability to explain what she was feeling. It's something that as teachers we need to identify and offer assistance."

The discussion took a different turn from Sophie's expectations and brought up a very interesting topic. "I agree. This is something we should address with the staff. I'll make it a point to discuss at our next staff meeting. Thank you both for being honest with me."

Sophie sat in the room for a good hour after her Deputy Head and Potions Professor had left. This wasn't something she had encountered before. She wondered why.

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_**A/N 2 - I know for some on this site the number of fav/follows and reviews would be seen as low but not me. I was stunned at just how quickly you all started to respond to the start of the story. This is how I wind down and it really is cool when people enjoy what I post.**_

**_In all sincerity, thank you._**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: *waving* **_

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"Paulo, what may I do for you?" Sophie Mathews was surprised when her Divinations professor appeared at her office a little over a week before the students were to return to the school. Most of the professors were taking advantage of the final days of quiet and peace, before the onslaught of teenagers. Looking to her former student, Sophie immediately recognized the wizard's as the expression when a vision was confusing or distressing. "Come in, I'll get us something to drink. Coffee?" The wizard nodded before settling in a chair. "I had to get Alfonso to arrange a regular delivery of the stuff for us. Tea is fine, but I still prefer coffee." Again the wizard just nodded while sipping the hot black drink.

"Sophie, I have had the same vision multiple times since arriving and I don't know what it means. I've pulled the memories but not sure who would understand." It had always been difficult for him to find someone trustworthy enough with whom to share the visions. "It's a boitatá but it didn't have horns, just flaming eyes. It appeared to be leaving Hogwarts. I'm not sure if this is an actual future vision or representative of something else."

The obviously worried wizard paused before his next thought. "I had been excited to have another seer so close, but I've come to learn Sybil's visions are like word puzzles and they are intended to be representations of reality. Worst of all, she doesn't always understand when something is laid in front of her. I'm also not sure I am totally comfortable with her. She is an odd duck, as you would say." Sophie decided to focus on the vision and not the comments about the overly eccentric professor who may or may not be a sham.

"What would a boitatá be doing in England? I would think it must represent something. One of the houses here is represented by a serpent. Maybe it has something to do with a student or former student?" Sophie had learned about the Brazilian mythical creatures when she took the position at Castelbruxo and the boitatá is one of the more frightening tales. It is a large snake-like creature who would appear in fields at night. If a person were to look at the boitatá's eyes they would become blind.

"Let's hope that is the case Sophie. I would hate to think what damage a boitatá could wreak on this unsuspecting countryside." Without waiting for a response, Paulo quietly shut the door behind him.

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The final weeks of summer had flown by and suddenly it was the day of the party. Neither husband had noticed how well behaved the children were on the last Friday of the summer holiday. Nor did the men notice how everyone was speaking in hushed tones and looked around before continuing conversations.

Narcissa was pleasantly surprised at how well the muggle and magical decorations worked together. With a not so subtle comment, Jean had gotten Rich and Lucius out of the house after lunch while the elves finished decorating. With everything in hand, the women had gone off to get ready.

Draco found himself not quite as nervous for this party as he had been for the new year's ball. He had left Harry and Blaise an hour earlier in order to get ready knowing his mum planned for everyone to dance. After informing Hermione of this, she readily agreed to a quick pre-party practice and met Draco outside the ballroom. "I had to talk Aster into letting us in early. The elves don't like to open the doors until everything is perfect. I told her we wanted our dance to reflect all the work the elves had done. It seemed to do the trick." The doors popped open and Hermione found herself giggling at the overly large posters covering the walls. It seemed their fathers both enjoyed running around the without their nappies.

"Dad is going to go mad." Hermione's giggles had spread to Draco who started laughing as well. "Come on we came to practice, we can laugh with everyone at the pictures later. We don't have very long before we promised to meet our mums." Nodding to Aster, the music started with a snap of her fingers. The pair spun around the dance floor for almost an hour before Aster said it was time to go.

"I don't think we could be anymore perfect together Hermione." Neither realized how often Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulders but as the pair left, it had again taken its place over the witch's slim shoulders. Nor did they notice how often Hermione would set her head against the wizard's shoulder while wrapped in his arms. The elves found it incredibly cute and started taking pictures of the pair without their knowledge. The unaware duo made their way to the sitting room where the rest of the family had congregated.

"Now that we've all arrived it's time for presents." With a flick of Narcissa's wand, presents appeared at the feet of both Lucius and Rich. Both of the men were surprised and suddenly very wary of just what else their wives had done. Neither had taken much notice of the lack of discussions about their birthdays, but now saw it for what it was.

"Narcissa, this isn't a party for us, is it?" Narcissa's eyes just sparkled with excitement when she motioned to the presents. "Narcissa." At this point, Rich shrugged and picked up the present from Hermione. After a few minutes of Narcissa not answering, Lucius accepted the inevitable and began to open his gifts as well. He figured he might as well check out the gifts before he was rushed out for whatever the women had planned. Rich had been the subject of many parties planned by Jean and he was just pleased she didn't know that many people in their new magical world. While Jean may not have known many people, Narcissa did and made sure to invite nearly everyone.

After the men had opened all the gifts from their families, they started fiddling with whichever present had their immediate attention. While the family was enjoying their time together, Aster and Usher were dutifully directing the guests toward the large area outside of the ballroom doors. The area had been set up with appetizers and drinks to allow for the guests to mingle before the men of honor made their appearance. As the time crept closer to seven, the elves arranged the guests to ensure they were only seen when Lucius and Rich rounded the corner. Narcissa and Jean would be following the men with the children behind them. Finally, the elves placed their version of the muffliato charm. The quiet din would be effectively muted until it was time for Lucius and Rich to hear.

When Lucius and Rich made their appearance, the guests cheered with cries of '_Happy Birthday_' and '_Many More to Come_'. The men were surprised at the sheer number of people who slowly had closed around the family and allowed for them to pass toward the doors to the ballroom. Aster stood in front of the doors, ensuring no one snuck into the room early. As Lucius and Rich approached, Lucius noticed the devious smile that was sent to Narcissa from her elf. He should have been worried, but he was overwhelmed by the party. As it was, he followed the direction of the elf and entered the ballroom. On entering, Lucius and Rich immediately stopped and wondered if they could keep everyone else out as well.

"Narcissa, you had to pick those? I thought I had them hidden!" The tinkling laughter of his wife and friend reached his ears as he looked to the other piece of wall art. "You didn't like your nappy either?" Rich shook his head before turning to give his wife a mock glare.

"Just wait Jean, yours will be here before you know it." Rich had long since given up being embarrassed when Jean did things like this. The family constantly joked about the silly things they did as children. It had always been a way to make sure Hermione didn't feel out of place. Little did the couple know Hermione's embarrassing actions were more based on her magic than a desire to run starkers through the house. Hermione ran up to her father and hugged him tightly before wishing him a happy birthday and giving him a kiss.

After wishing the birthday boys another round of well wishes, the children moved to a far corner of the room and settled while waiting for their other friends to break away from their parents. Before long Hermione and the three boys were joined by Daphne, Daphne's younger sister Astoria, Neville and Theo. All had made themselves comfortable before starting to discuss their summers. As the evening wore on, most of Slytherin made an appearance, along with a smaller portion of Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and even fewer Gryffindors. The decision of who to invite was left to Narcissa after all.

Hermione had been engrossed discussing some of the new fashion magazine predictions with Daphne when she notice Neville sitting with them but not participating in the conversations. "Neville, what's wrong?" The small group turned to the young man who immediately blushed.

"Nothing, sorry, Harry what were you saying?" Draco rolled his eyes and tapped Neville on the shoulder to indicate Neville was fooling no one. "It's dad, we were getting ready to leave when he received an urgent call. I overheard part of the conversation and it sounds bad. I'm just worrying for nothing, I'm sure it will all be fine." The young man swallowed before trying to get the attention off of him. Hermione gazed across the room and located Neville's mother but not his father. It appeared whatever happened required Mr. Longbottom's presence. She knew he was an auror but didn't really have a point of reference other than auror were sort of like police officers.

"Neville, what sort of things does your dad do? Draco explained aurors were like police officers in the muggle world. But, there are many types of police and I didn't know if he was a patrolman or detective or something completely unique to the magical world." While the focus remained on Neville, it didn't really have to do with what was happening but just general information.

"I guess you could call him a detective or investigator. He is called in after the initial response is made so taking this was unusual. He normally does the second and third rounds of interviews when it's needed. He speaks with the witnesses but also the first responders. He really seems to like it and Mum seems happier now that he isn't on the front line. He got a promotion recently and is now the senior investigator in the department. Grandmother likes to tell people how important he is and how the department would fall apart without him. I don't like to think about that happening, you know?" Nodding her agreement, Hermione decided that whatever it was that happened, it was obviously something important enough to require a higher ranking officer. As Neville spoke, Draco saw the tension in his friend and figured now was as good a time as ever to change the topic.

"Has anyone else read any of their text books yet? I think History of Magic is going to be an excellent class now." As was habit, everyone followed Draco's lead and the topic of Neville and his father was well and truly dropped. Hermione proceeded to discuss the Charms book and how excited she was to see there would be a number of new items for her to learn and perfect. The rest of the group admitted to not looking at any of their books.

It was in the middle of the discussion that Severus Snape appeared from no where. "I would expect you to have at least read the first couple chapters of _Magical Drafts and Potions._ Since you haven't, I would assume the rest of the class is the same." Tutting to himself Severus spun and walked away as his robes continued to billow.

"Do you think he has a fan or something under there to make them do that?" Hermione was transfixed in watching the material continue to move in the most elegant ripples of flowing fabric. The only time it stopped was if Professor Snape stopped and the robes fluttered at his feet before coming to a graceful halt. The rest of the group laughed at Hermione's question before Harry spoke up.

"We might want to read the book, Professor Snape didn't look pleased and I expect him to give us a quiz on the first day." Groaning but agreeing, everyone decided it would be a good idea to read at least the first five chapters before arriving at Hogwarts. And probably take notes on what they read. Maybe review them with Hermione on the train during the ride up to Hogwarts as well.

Soon after the departure of their potions professor, the band changed from playing quiet background music to dance music. The group of children made their way to the dance floor and spent the evening having a great time dancing and having fun. As the party started to wind down, the band began to play slower songs and couples began to break from their groups and get in a few dances before the end of the night. Draco and Hermione danced to a couple of songs before Neville asked for a dance. Hermione was surprised at how well Neville danced and was told it's a tradition in pureblood families. He would be surprised if any of their friends didn't know how to dance. Hermione enjoyed her dance but was pleased when she was with Draco again for the last dance. Once the dance ended, Lucius and Rich thanked everyone for attending and admitted to looking forward to the party next year. The children bid farewell to their friends with promises to see them at Kings Cross in a couple days.

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Before the party in Wiltshire kicked off, the new Headmistress of Hogwarts was settling in and planned to enjoy an evening with a book, warm fire (the Scottish castle was apparently drafty all year round) and a glass of fine American whiskey. Whiskey and coffee were the two items she knew would be necessary and her husband had agreed to procure them when he was home. While Sophie was stuck at Hogwarts during the school year, her husband wasn't bound by the same requirements. He planned to spend time in Scotland and learn about his new home, but also would return to America regularly to keep up with the family.

Alfonso's letter detailing the end of summer vacation their children and grandchildren had taken was quite detailed and included notes from each of the grandchildren. She laughed at the stories and shed a few tears when she looked at the photos. Everyone was planning on spending next summer in Scotland. It was one of the few reasons Sophie wished for the year to fly by. But she knew she would see them over the holidays at the end of the term. As she flipped through the photos yet again there was a knock at her door, on opening the door she found Paulo rushing in.

"Sophie we must contact someone. The vision, the boitatá, it wasn't representing something. It was real. I just saw the beast attacking a family. We must stop it. I do not know them Sophie, but it is focused on the child in the home." As Paulo was explaining what he had seen, Sophie was already on her knees and contacting the British Ministry. She was lucky to find a helpful auror who promised to have someone at the school as soon as possible.

"Paulo, we need to pull the vision. They must see both of them, as well as our conversation on this the other day." Before they could do much more than agree a tall, dark haired man stepped through the grate. Sophie gasped in surprise as the man brushed a bit of ash from his shoulder.

"Headmistress Mathews, I'm Frank Longbottom. Susie informed me of your request. I was a bit confused but it sounded quite urgent, so if you could start at the beginning." As Frank made his request, he pulled a notebook and self-inking quill from his cloak pocket before returning his gaze to the new Headmistress. Sophie recognized recognized the auror as also being on the board so that was one less thing she needed to worry about in this moment.

"Thank you Auror Longbottom. This is Paulo Oliveira and he is the second divination professor. When he arrived at Hogwarts he had a vision and neither of us understood it. His visions work differently from other seers. Paulo actually sees visions, there are no prophesies. After it is complete, he can extract the vision as a memory and it can be viewed in a pensive. We were just preparing to pull the visions for you." Frank lifted his hand.

"Please allow me, it makes the paperwork easier if I do it." Paulo immediately submitted and was surprised at the gentle manner in which the memories were extracted. "Years of practice Paulo. This typically ends up being the best way to verify claims." Once the memories were settled into their vials, Frank cast a spell on the pensive allowing the visions to play out on the wall instead of having to dive into it. "Paulo, tell me about these visions as they play." The command was simple but he quiet voice held the authority of the British Ministry.

"The first one occurred when I first crossed the wards of Hogwarts. It's the first vision I've had for quite awhile. It frighted me as the boitatá is a magical creature in Brazil. As you'll see in the second vision, Sophie and I viewed this vision and couldn't determine its meaning. But now I know, I was seeing this creature leave Hogwarts and head somewhere. The third vision is what truly scared me." Paulo swallowed heavily as the final memory started to play.

The boitatá was slowly making its way on a residential street. The road was wet as if the late summer rains just stopped. As the road made a turn, a large Tudor style home come into sight. It was set apart from its neighbors and was surrounded by large, full bushes that gave the home privacy. It was evening, the street lights were burning bright and provided enough light for the viewers to gain details on their surroundings. The beast seemed to know where it was headed, as its course shifted and pointed toward the Tudor styled home.

The trio continued to watch in horror as the doors to the home appeared to open on their own as it approached. The beast slithered through the entry and came across an adult man, Frank immediately assumed the man wasn't a wizard as he did nothing to protect himself before falling to the ground. At the sound of the body hitting the wood floor, a woman appeared and she too did nothing before collapsing. The beast continued down a hall toward a closed door. As with the front door, the interior door opened to a large library. Settled on a window seat was a young girl, Frank thought she would be Neville's age. The beast focused on the girl and began to hiss before moving closer. As the girl looked up, in response to the hissing noise, the beast's gaze met her terror filled eyes, and the vision suddenly ended.

Frank felt the weight of the vision on him. "That beast was attacking muggles. I don't believe any of them were magical based on their responses." Those in the room agreed. "Paulo, do you think this has happened or is there still time? Can we save them?" The other wizard thought and replayed parts of the vision in his mind.

"No, I don't believe it has happened yet. Something tells me the beast has yet to arrive, but I cannot tell where the house is. But what I know for certain is that family is in grave danger." Agreeing Frank quickly departed with copies of the visions and returned to the Ministry in the hopes of finding anything that could lead him to the endangered family.

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Frank settled at his desk and sent a note home so it would be there when Alice and Neville returned from Malfoy Manor. Making notes as he replayed vision over and over, he hoped to narrow the search. He also called in a few others from the department before starting to view the vision again. Somewhere in the back of him mind, he knew the beast had something important to do with Hogwarts but at the moment that wasn't a pressing issue and Frank returned to his focus on the family. He would speak to Lucius later and discuss what needed to be done at the Scottish castle.

Once the team arrived, they viewed the visions and split into groups with specific tasks. One group would review the vision of Hogwarts to see if they could determine where the beast came from or which direction it was heading. Being magical, there was the possibility it could use magical means to travel and its direction was meaningless. The other group worked through the second vision to see if they could located the home of the intended victims.

As midnight drew near, the group took a break and started to compare notes to see if anything could be found through discussion. One of the aurors mentioned the home may be closer to London and it appeared the family had just moved. There had been multiple packing boxes strewn about the house and the library wasn't full. Frank had noticed the same thing.

"Ok, we do need some sleep, let's head home and reconvene at seven tomorrow. I'll probably bring in a few others to see what they think. We may end up running with the recent move angle. Maybe a listing of homes that recently sold and are similar to this one should be our first request. Does anyone have any contacts with muggle real estate agents." The combined group shook their heads. "Ok, I think I know someone who probably knows someone, hopefully by seven or so I'll have the list. Goodnight." Frank ushered the group from the room and secured the visions before securing the room.

There was something about this that worried the wizard. Some faint memory was just beyond his reach and he hoped some sleep would help him to remember. Arriving at his home, Frank found the Manor in Leeds quiet save for the elf who was waiting by the floo. "Yes, Peri I know I'm late. There is a case and it is urgent we figure it out as soon as possible. There is a family with children in mortal peril." The elf tsked before asking Frank if he ate. "No, I didn't have time and I'm exhausted now. In the morning would you please request a meeting with Lucius Malfoy, I'll go to the Manor if that works better, but I would like to do it as early in the morning as possible." The elf sighed, agreed and pointed toward the master bedroom.

As Frank settled into his bed and Alice snuggled into his arms, Frank's thoughts drifted to a discussion with Neville right after he had returned home from his first year at Hogwarts. It revolved around a witch in Neville's year. Her family was moving to a new home. Frank still couldn't remember why that conversation was important as he drifted into a deeper sleep.

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Lucius was surprised when User said there was a meeting request from Frank Longbottom. Alice had explained Frank was called away on business and therefore wasn't able to attend the party. This could be to make up for his absence. "Of course Usher, if he wants to come for breakfast that is perfectly fine." The elf popped out to rely the message and confirm when the man would make his arrive.

Just before seven Frank Longbottom stepped from the flames and dusted of the few spots of ash from his robes. Looking up Frank noted the waiting elf, at his nod the little creature turned and headed into the home. Frank was surprised when he arrived the family dining room and found not only Lucius, but also Narcissa, Severus Snape and the entire Granger family. "Hope you don't mind, feel free to eat if you haven't yet." Lucius motioned to the chair at his other side and then the table filled with food.

"That is a very nice offer. I haven't actually eaten since yesterday sometime. I think Peri would have been a bit more persistent if he hadn't understood the importance and accepted my explanation." Frank settled in the chair as Narcissa handed him a plate full of food. With a little groan he quickly dove into the meal. After a few minutes of eating, Frank decided it was time to address the reason for his early morning request.

"Lucius, I was hoping for your assistance but with the Grangers here, they may be better positioned to assist me with this case." At the surprised looks on everyone's face, Frank jumped into the background. "The new divination professor has very unique visions. Instead of verbal prophesies, like most other seers including Sybil, Paulo actually witnesses the visions and remembers them. He is able to pull the visions into pensives and have them reviewed. He had one yesterday and it is incredibly worrisome." Severus was listening but watching the Granger family, this may have been one of the first times they would observe just how the magical world really worked.

"My family will provide whatever help we can." Rich realized the situation was quite grave given how Frank was carrying himself. Nodding in agreement, Hermione opened her mouth only to be cut off by Severus.

"Yes, Miss Granger divination is something we can discuss later. It is a course offered at the school for third years and above. There are a handful of other classes as well, all required information will be provided at a later time. For now, let's focus on the issue at hand." The girl was yet again surprised at just how well her professor could read her.

The rest of the table chuckled at the unintentional humor that had broken the oppressive feeling that hovered in the room. Frank appreciated the slight reprieve and gathered himself to explain the vision in more detail. "Yes, the vision was of a muggle family who were attacked by a magical beast. Paulo called it a boitatá, it's a magical creature from Brazil known for attacking people in fields and ultimately removing the victim's vision. That isn't what the vision showed. What I don't know is if the effect is different because the victims were muggles or because the creature wasn't a boitatá. Either way Paulo believes the attack hasn't happened yet, but soon."

Hermione's hand reluctantly raised in the air and she heard Professor Snape sigh. "A boitatá is a snake or serpent-like creature. Due to the side effects there are few that have been able to describe it with any certainty." Hermione lowered her hand and sent her Professor a thankful smile.

"You know Severus, you are able to read her almost as well as Draco and Harry." The dower man just raised an eyebrow at the Malfoy Head and motioned for the clearly amused auror to continue.

"Based on the vision, we believe the family recently moved into the home as there were packing boxes and the library was still pretty bare. We were hoping to find a muggle real estate agent who could provide us with a listing of recently sold homes that fit the description we have on the home and surrounding area. We were given a pretty good view of the home but can't determine the actual location." Rich could easily provide their agent's name, but maybe they could help a bit more.

"Would it be possible for me to see the vision? I'm not sure if being a muggle would prohibit that sort of thing. I might be able to help narrow down the search area." The offer was a relief and Frank thought it would be a better starting point.

"Of course; however, I'm not sure if being a muggle will be an issue. Would you have a concern with Hermione attempting if you cannot. Pensives are difficult to explain, but have comfort that I will be in the vision with Hermione and I won't allow her to see anything untoward." The Granger parents gave each other a few looks before Jean nodded in acquiescence.

"If you can give us a few minutes, we will be ready. Hermione, go get dressed." The young witch was out of her chair a moment later headed toward her room. Chuckling, Jean stood in order to get ready as well with Narcissa trailing behind. It may have been a Saturday morning, but you never knew who they might run into. "Since Hermione is gone, will you tell us what happened to the family?" Frank's expression soured and he nodded sadly.

"The creature was able to access the home with no apparent issues and came across the father first. The man put up no fight before he fell to the ground. We don't know if he was frozen or something worse. It then encountered the mother with the same results. The beast made its way down a hall and into the home's library. It focused on a young girl who was settled in a window seat. The vision ended and we don't actually know what happened to the girl. If Hermione is the one to go in, she will only see the visions of the exterior of the home and the street in front of it." Rich and Lucius looked absolutely sick at the mere thought of what Frank had described.

"I would appreciate it if you would do that. Hopefully, I'll be able to see something and we won't have to subject Hermione to anything more than what she has already had to endure." Frank agreed. He hadn't thought much about what the young girl had been through the year before. But, her first experiences with the magical world hadn't been very good.

Jean and Hermione returned a few minutes later with the sleepy looking duo of Draco and Harry. "What's going? Hermione won't tell us. She said it wasn't her place." Draco looked a bit perturbed at being denied something.

"The Grangers and I are going with Mr. Longbottom. Hopefully we will be back in time for lunch." With that, Lucius, Rich and Frank stood and joined Hermione and Jean before heading toward the exit to the room. Hermione waved and quickly followed her father out of the room.

"We can go with you." Hermione heard Harry yell as she headed down the hall. She looked up to see Lucius stopping and motioning for the rest to continue. Lucius wasn't upset but trying to figure out a way to tell the two boys no without ruining their last day at home. He patted Hermione on the shoulder and directed her to the floo room.

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When Lucius arrived at the Ministry thirty minutes later, he had Narcissa, Harry and Draco in tow. It seemed the trio had quickly worn Lucius down and instead of fighting he just agreed. Frank chuckled quietly to himself knowing full well when Alice, Neville and Aggie started in on him, he couldn't deny his family either.

The boys immediately stood flanking Hermione, as if she was facing the beast herself. Neville had talked about the closeness of the three and Frank took this as strong evidence to support what his son had said. Taking the memory, he poured the silver stream into the pensive. He knew it could be played on the wall but there was not a way to stop the memory until it came to its natural end. That was something he didn't want anyone else to have to witness.

Once the memory had settled, Frank motioned to Rich. "Ok, I'm going to go in, you watch me and then we can try to do it together." Rich nodded and positioned himself in the best place in order to observe. Surprisingly, Frank stuck his head into bowl and there appeared to be enough room for someone else's head. A moment later Frank was standing tall again and blinking his eyes. "When you go in, we will be on a residential street. If you can't see anything after three seconds tap my arm. We can try again." The pair both stuck their heads into the bowl but less than a breath later they were both standing.

"It's a pity it doesn't work with muggles, it is certainly sounds like an amazing way to remember good times." Rich stepped back and pulled Hermione into position. "Baby, if you have any idea where you are squeeze my hand and I will tap Frank's shoulder. You only have to look around the street and see if anything looks familiar. If not, you'll continue the memory until you view the house. Frank will pull you out once you've seen the house. Ok? No going any further into the memory. Time is very important here." Hermione swallowed at the seriousness in her father's voice and quietly agreed before turning toward the auror.

"I think your father has a good idea. Let me hold your other hand and that way regardless of which hand you squeeze we will get out of there right away." Hermione glanced between the two men and the large stone bowl.

"Ok." Hermione allowed the courage of all in Gryffindor to build in her and she dropped her head into the vision.

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Hermione was thankful she was behind the beast. It held her attention for the first few seconds before Mr. Longbottom directed her to the surrounding area. It took Hermione by surprise, she knew the street very well. She promised to let them know, but her gut was telling her the beast was headed somewhere she knew even better. When the beast turned toward the familiar yard, she made one glance to the house and squeezed both of the hands she held.

She was suddenly back in the blurry room. She hadn't realized she was crying until Draco and Harry broke free and held her tightly. Both were murmuring nonsense trying to calm her. Frank suspected the girl knew where they were as soon as she had looked up from the beast. She had been watching the beast before Frank motioned for her to start looking around. Immediately she stiffened and turn her head wildly from side to side. He was right in not letting her see what happened later. When the house first came into sight the girl immediately reacted and squeezed his hand.

Frank waved Rich over to where everyone else was. "She knows and it's upset her greatly. I think she knew exactly where we were when the vision first started playing. She picked up the house the first moment it was visible. We just need her to calm enough to talk." Frank leaned against the wall and watched the three friends. It didn't take quite as long as Frank had suspected when Hermione started wiping her eyes and nose with a handkerchief.

"There's no need to get anyone else involved. The house was ours." Rich shut his eyes, he had hoped it wouldn't be that house. Not because it _was_ their house, but because the coincidence was too great. And the meaning wasn't lost on him. Someone was still targeting his daughter. Frank seemed completely surprised when the home was identified.

Lucius, it seemed, was on the same wave length as Rich. Whispering to the man who was quickly changing from close friend to confidant. "The Manor has wards that do not allow person or creature with ill intent to access the grounds. These wards are even stronger than what we had on your house. Remember we removed the wards the day you moved." Rich calmed a touch knowing that Hermione would be safe at home and then she would be at Hogwarts. With Dumbledore gone, it seemed the old castle was the next safest place.

"Rich if you could provide us coordinates, we can set up a watch and ward the home." Looking to Lucius, Rich had a confused look on just what Frank needed.

"I'll give them to you Frank. Although the Ministry should have them as we had the fireplace set up with floo access. But, given the red tape and the time constraints, this is a better way to go." After providing the necessary information the Malfoy family and friends returned to the Manor. Hermione was still a bit shell shocked as the reality began to set in. She too realized the attack was probably not random and shuddered at the thought of who would hate her so much.

After sending her friends out to fly, she made her way to the solarium. She couldn't know who did it but she could detail what she saw in the vision. She spent a solid hour describing the creature and how it moved. In the end she decided the creature was definitely a serpent; however, the head appeared to be shaped more like a large lizard. Almost dragon-like in some ways. From what she could see, it appeared to have more angles than the snakes she had seen in her life. She didn't know what good it would do, but it was done. After closing her journal a delicate noise directed Hermione's attention to the portrait over the mantel.

"Hello Hermione dear. What had you so engrossed this afternoon?" Not having a grandmother of her own anymore, Hermione had decided Marguerite was the closest she would ever get. After explaining the whole morning to the painting, Hermione was emotionally spent and ended up falling asleep on the small settee. Smiling at how comfortable the girl was in her presence, Marguerite decided to watch over her until she woke. As the girl peacefully slumbered, the regal witch began to think on what had happened and how this young girl just couldn't shake the bad luck following her.

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Even with the extreme urgency, it still took Frank almost the entire day to obtain the necessary permissions to secure the former Granger home and protect its new owners. Once the team was assembled, Frank laid out the plan. They were to apparate to a point in the backyard with a 'Notice Me Not' charm, this would allow each auror a moment to set their own disillusionment charm before stepping into the yard. Once there, Frank would take the lead and determine if they were too late. Praying they would not need to instigate the emergency plan, the aurors began to blink out of the conference room. The auror department had points set up in their meeting rooms allowing them to apparate instead of having to leave the Ministry to find one.

On arrival, each of the aurors placed their disillusionment charms and additional ones to repel water. The storm had broken and the yard was a sloppy mess. As Frank arrived, he noticed what the rest of the team had already done and applied his own charms. After a quick discussion, the group determined, if the attack were to happen this day, it would be soon. Dusk had started to settle and the street lamps were slowly switching on reflecting the rain drops as they fell to the street. As the lights stopped flickering and illuminated the area brightly, the storm passed and the streets and sidewalks were left with puddles reflecting the now visible full moon.

"We must hurry, if it's tonight we are almost too late." The team immediate broke apart and began to set wards around the home. Frank's spells on the home noted the presence of four muggles, two adults and two children. They in the home were breathing and moving, which bolstered his hope they were in time. Having reviewed the home's floor plan he found the girl in the library and the other three members of the family in the kitchen near the front doors.

The lead auror made his way around the home's side and looked toward the direction the beast should appear. As the wards and protection spells were completed, each member moved from yard to yard toward where the vision started. The hope was at some point they could get behind the beast and contain it. Frank's position was open enough for him to see down the whole street in order to inform the group when the beast neared the home. His focus was at a point down the road. What no one expected was for the beast to appear about three doors down from the identified home. Frank was able to send out a flare to alert the team before moving into a defensive position. At first the beast did not seem to sense the wizard, but as it failed to cross the wards and gain access to the property, it turned its attention toward where the flare had originated and wizard who was cloaked under a disillusionment spell.

Muttering into the recording device on his shoulder, Frank gave a continual monologue since the beast appeared. Everything he saw being detailed for review later. After explaining how the beast had appeared from the sewer, Frank described how the beast reacted when the ward had successfully kept the beast from the property and before he finally getting to description of it. Starting at the tail, Frank described the skin in more detail than the vision and approximate the length since that was never seen. He commented on just how large the beast was an it was surprising how it was able to leave the sewer through the street drain.

As the beast moved toward the hidden wizard, it passed over a puddle and turned its head once more toward the protected house. At the same moment, Frank reached the head of the beast as the beast turned back and Frank's gaze dropped to the puddle reflecting the head. His description immediately stopped and the device picked up the thud of his body hitting the moist ground.

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_**A/N - So sorry, someone had to be first. Now you know the plot (as if you didn't before) for this one. Hope you enjoyed and see you in a week.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: So I do sort of apologize about that cliffhanger. When I was originally writing this I thought it would be a good stopping point. A little unknown can be exciting. **_

_**To my new favorites, followers and reviewers. Hi - I do read each review and see each person favoriting or following me or my stories. It's cool to recognize names from other stories. Hope this keeps your interest. **_

_**I did make some last minute changes before I posted, so I hope I didn't forget any verbs or subjects in those new parts. I have a tendency to do that. Especially after a glass or two of wine. ). **_

**_Next weeks will probably post on Friday (for those who aren't following), I will be at a class reunion next weekend and figure it's better to post before I start running around with my friends who have a tendency to lead me astray. I swear it's them, it's never me. Nope. Never. Well ... maybe sometimes._**

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As the first of September dawned, Malfoy Manor found those residing in its walls weren't as excited as they had been last year. The children arrived at the table in a bit of a melancholy mood. The last week of the summer had been wonderful up the last Saturday of August. There was an uneasiness in the four underaged residents, their trunks were packed and the only things that remained were the familiars. Hermione would need to get Crooks, but the animal had acknowledged her request to appear after breakfast before he headed out for one final gnome hunt. Draco and Harry had sent their owls off before meeting up with the others for breakfast. Blaise never wanted the responsibility of a familiar, he just watched in amusement as Hermione and Crooks had their discussion.

They found the Malfoy and Granger parents at the table with The Prophet set face down on the table. "Good morning, come and eat. We will be leaving in a couple of hours. Is everyone's truck packed?" As the children nodded, Lucius continued. "Harry, Kitmu has placed a set of language lessons for you in your trunk. You are complete them by the end of next Sunday. Hedwig has been informed if you do not send him home with the work after dinner on Sunday, he is to return to the Manor and pick up the next week's work. As a warning, Kitmu said if you do not turn the work in on time, the next week's work will be double." Harry groaned knowing it would be impossible to change the elf's mind. Kitmu was still displeased with how lax Harry was with his studies first year, so the young wizard nodded to Lucius in acknowledgment before a very important question popped into his head.

"Of course Lucius, do you know if he has some plan for oral practice while I'm at Hogwarts?" Harry half expected the elf to appear and pull him into some unused room. Lucius noted the young wizard's resigned acceptance.

"I don't believe so, but you know Kitmu, he might get some wild hair. I would just be prepared for anything." Harry sighed quietly and continued to eat quietly while Lucius turned his attention to the next child at the table. "Draco, I will send you updates on what's happening at the company. I would like you to read them, respond with your thoughts and any ideas you may have. This is what it seems Draco. This is a test. When you are in charge you will need to be able to keep the company in mind, along with whatever else you have going on. Yes?"

Draco's eyes widened, luckily he had just taken a bite of food and it gave him time to determine an appropriate answer. The thought of still being involved with the Company for more than just his summers was more than he had expected. "Of course Father, do you need immediate responses or will I be given time to think and respond later in the day?"  
Lucius was pleased with his son's response as Draco didn't seem concerned with the additional responsibility but more with how to manage the expectations. "Most of the topics shouldn't have any great urgency, much like how we handled things this summer. I think you'll be able to identify things that are more pressing than others. But, if something does require an immediate response, I will let you know." A relieved Draco nodded toward his father in agreement.

Lucius continued his gaze around the table and stopped on Blaise. The young wizard was happily eating his meal and thinking how grateful he was for the Malfoy family. With thoughts elsewhere, he didn't notice when Lucius looked at him. "Now Blaise." The young wizard looked up and was surprised to see everyone watching him. "We've been looking into a number of things and Wizengamot agrees your mother may be a danger to you. As such, Narcissa and I have been given temporary custody while the case is investigated and heard by the Wizengamot."

Blaise sat stock still and looked to the man who had taken in a scared boy and treated him like a son. He didn't expect it, so everyone else was shocked when tears started to stream down his face. Unable to respond in more than a broken whisper, Blaise began to thank the Malfoys over and over. Narcissa was out of her seat and pulled the young man into her arms until his tears lessened.

"You will be expected to pick up lessons over the holidays and in the summer with the rest of the lot. Lucius will work with trustees of the Zabini estate to determine its state. We will have a plan set up by the Yule holiday." The young wizard was more than happy to agree with what he had been told before pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his eyes.

Harry was smiling happily at the encounter. "Welcome to family Zabini." Nothing more was needed to be said on the subject. "What about Hermione? Does she get extra work?" The entire table looked to Harry and rolled their eyes but it was Jean who responded.

"No Harry, in fact we are trying to make sure she doesn't over do it this year. That said, I believe Regulus is planning to start introducing her to House matters next summer. But it's nothing to even think about until then. Right Hermione?" The witch, whose eyes widened when she heard about Regulus's plans, agreed.

"Yes Mum, I'll do my best. I think the additional classes will help and I won't spend all my time in the library. But am I allowed to still read some of the random books in the library? Like I did this summer?" The table chuckled at the request. It wasn't like they could stop her from reading. Jean winked and hid her smile when Hermione happily tucked back into the meal. The conversation had successfully distracted the tweens from asking anything about the day before.

At the appointed time, Crooks appeared and settled in his carrier. The elves, saddened the cat would be leaving, packed a large selection of treats for their friend. His final morning in the garden had seen him remove another half dozen gnomes. Crooks, fell asleep knowing when he woke they would be on their way to the castle and all those interesting little creatures on the grounds.

As the family appeared at Kings Cross, the children's trunks were immediately stored into an empty carriage before returning to say goodbye to their family. The children of Malfoy Manor, waved until their parents and station were well and truly behind them.

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Lucius received a note from Frank before dinner the evening prior, informing him the aurors had finally received permission and were planning to head to the former Granger home before nightfall. However, there had been no word from Frank before the house went to bed and more worrisome was the lack of letter in the morning. Lucius didn't want to jump to any conclusions, knowing sometimes the paperwork associated with a stakeout could be cumbersome. Watching the train pull from the station we was deciding what to do when an owl appeared and dropped a note into his hands.

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The Ministry of Magic had been a flurry of activity for the past twelve hours with no end in sight. Frank Longbottom had been attacked and St. Mungo's running another battery of tests on the fallen auror to determine just what spell it had been. Alice and her children were allowed in the room and had heard bits and pieces of what happened from the various aurors who were in and out of the room. The healer finally stated the man was petrified with no other injuries. The curing potions would need to be brewed but until the mandrakes were mature and harvested, which wouldn't be for a couple of months, the auror would remain in this state. The family, while devastated at how long Frank would be gone, were comforted that his condition was only temporary.

The relief was short lived with the aurors, the question now was what sort of beast could petrify without a spell and not be affected by any of the containment spells at the disposal of the Ministry?

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On the train, Hermione was the first to notice Neville's absence. After mentioning it to Harry, it quickly was around the carriage and when each student would head out for one thing or another, they kept their eyes open for their friend. By the time they got to Hogsmeade, it had been decided Neville was not on the train. This was confirmed quietly by Professor Snape who was at the station directing students. His glare told to the small group Neville was not to be discussed. The stern professor then pointed the group to the carriages and walked away. Draco noticed another professor smile at them and quickly follow his Godfather.

"I wonder what lesson that witch is teaching?" Everyone turned to look at the witch with long blonde hair as she hurried to catch up to Snape. "She seems rather focused on Severus. I wonder." The comments trailed off as the group watched Severus huff and turn to the witch. Her blush was all Draco needed. "Yup, Severus has an admirer. No wonder he was a bit short with us, come on if he sees us standing here we will all have detention before we even get to the school." Everyone scurried to get in line quickly so they missed the way Severus's eyes followed the witch when she turned to direct another group of students.

On arriving at the school, the second years were unsurprised to see Professor McGonagall welcoming the students at the main doors. Their surprise was on the other witch standing next to the Transfiguration professor. No one recognized her but believed her to be the new headmistress. "Children, welcome back. Now to the hall and your house tables please. The first years should be arriving soon."

It had been only three months but it seemed they had all missed the old castle. The school radiated happiness as each student returned. As they walked toward the Hall, Harry stopped and started to look around. Draco was the only one who noticed since he and Harry were discussing whether the house teams would have tryouts for all positions or just those that had openings and were trailing the rest of their friends. "Draco, did you hear anything unusual?"

"No, it's almost impossible to hear anything with all the chatter from students and professors." For the first time Harry noticed the din and the sounds he had heard on entering the school melted away.  
"I guess it was nothing. Let's get seated." The wizards caught up to their friends and made their way to their respective tables. A few others noticed Neville's absence as well but there wasn't an all around uproar as students were late every year for various reasons. Really as long as they arrived by the first morning of classes all was good.

Professor Snape had been tasked with getting the students quiet and introducing the new Head. He took a bit of perverse satisfaction when he stood and the entirety of the Hall fell silent. The other professors (both old and new) had never seen a student body silent quite that quickly. Minerva, who was standing in the back waiting for her signal, smiled seeing Severus show what the school could be.

"Students, today starts a new chapter in the history of Hogwarts School. I expect you all to listen and if there are questions, provide them to your prefects who will route them to the respective House Heads. Understand?" There was a murmur of agreement before he raised his hand and the noise again stopped. "With that, I am please to introduce our new Headmistress, Sophia Mathews. Your returning professors and the Board of Regents expect you to show our new Head and new professors just why Hogwarts is the best wizarding school." A smattering of cheers and chants of Hogwarts started before the witch stood and shook Severus's hand.

Sophie hadn't know what exactly she wanted to say, but knew her predecessor had a tendency to ramble. "Good day students, as Professor Snape stated, I'm Sophie Mathews and your new Head Mistress. I will not bore you with my history, but I will say, for those of you who are interested, there are a few new books in the library related to my life BH. That would be my time before Hogwarts. I'm an American witch, so I would expect there to be some misunderstandings over the next year. I hope for you to use your prefects and House Heads to make sure these confusions are quickly cleared. Before we move on with the first years, I want to say my door is always open and I hope to get to know each of you personally over the coming year and years." The student clapped politely as the Headmistress motioned to the large doors.

The doors opened with a bang and the Transfiguration Professor led the first years toward the front of the Great Hall. Hermione wasn't sure if she looked as scared as this group but noticed a number of the older students smiling and sending their welcomes to the new students. Hermione and her friends quickly started to do the same and noticed just how relieved the new students were at the warm welcome.

Draco noticed how involved the new Headmistress was compared to what had occurred the year before. As the students were assigned to their houses, Draco cheered loudly when the first Slytherin was announced. With the Weasley twins gone, it seemed they had informed the house their replacement would be the young Malfoy heir. It wasn't uncommon for children from the old families to gain power in the house at this young of an age but his friendships would lead to a shift in how the Slytherin House was viewed by others.

In addition to cheering for his new house members, he clapped politely for each of the students, regardless of where they were placed. When he clapped for the first Gryffindor there was shock before the rest of Slytherin joined the polite applause. This one act led the other houses to follow suit and all houses clapped for each child. The last student to be called was a red-head girl named Ginny. Draco recognized the surname, as did Harry and Hermione. All three wondered what house would claim her and more importantly which of her brothers she would be like. When Gryffindor was called the young girl on the stool sagged in relief. The rest of the hall just watched her, all of the returning students remembered the last Weasley to be a Gryffindor and that didn't end well. There was a half beat of quiet before Hermione began to clap and the rest of Gryffindor and the Hall quickly followed. Ginny was too wrapped up to have noticed the slight delay but she happily hopped off the stool and made her way to the table of the lions.

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Dinner had been great and as students started yelling over tables trying to catch up with other friends, Sophie realized it was time to dismiss the group. "I'm glad to see you all excited about catching up with old friends and meeting new. This year I hope to help us all make new friends. Please follow your prefects in order to get your passwords, figure out sleeping arrangements and what not. Prefects, I am turning over these students to your care. I expect you to ensure their safety. After settling in your dorms, you all have a few hours until curfew. The library will not be open until tomorrow. Our head students and professors will be completing rounds and I'll see you all at breakfast." Sophie waved her hand before the students took advantage of their dismissal and left.

On reaching the portal to the Gryffindor common room the students entered and found a seat before waiting. The prefects directed the first years to a section that appeared to be reserved for them. A few minutes after the last student had settled, Professor McGonagall and a man none of the students recognized entered the common room. "Good Evening students, I hope you are all as pleased to be back as I am to see you all again." The room murmured a response that was overall happy. The wizard chuckled and earned a glare from the older witch. "Well, I am happy to see you all. Before we get into the details, I want to introduce Paulo Oliveira. He will be stepping into the new role of Deputy Head of our house. He will also be teaching some of the divination classes for those of you in that course track." The students welcomed the man with a round of claps and cries of '_Welcome to Gryffindor'_. Paulo smiled before inclining his head to assembled students. "Paulo will be setting up a classroom on the second floor with an attached office." A few of the students seemed pleased they didn't have to climb a ladder to get to their classroom.

Minerva, sensing a relaxed feeling in the common room, continued with the providing her house all necessary information. "Now, we have revamped the courses to allow for an advanced course track along with the standard track. In your Hogwarts letter this summer you would have noticed if you were in an advance track or not. For those of you not in the advance track, it does not mean you are a lesser witch or wizard. This is done more for the professors, and allows us to spend additional time to ensure you all learn everything required." The only concern Minerva had with the new advanced track would be how the students would react to having their classes split by this factor instead of houses. Overall no one looked too upset.

"Finally each class, required and elective will have two professors. You shall meet each of the new professors as you work through your classes this week and learn how the work will divided between the professors. Each of us will be available for students to use as resources. Now if there are no questions Paulo and I will leave you to your evening." As the professors made their way to the portal, Minerva turned once more. "Remember the Hall opens at seven and time tables will be handed out at eight. Please do not be late." The house nodded before erupting into chatter.

"Welcome to the chaos that is Gryffindor, Paulo. These children are a bit more of a handful than some of the other houses. But all the students get up to nonsense. It's just a matter of how we discover their antics. Luckily the lions are a bit more action oriented and we should hear rumors of their plans shortly before they actually happen. We may not have much time, but at least I am mostly aware of what I will be facing when I do catch them. Or make sure they don't kill themselves or get expelled in the process." It seemed to Paulo students everywhere were the same and his decision to become a teacher gave him more insight into his own professors.

"Of course Minerva, I shall be on guard." The pair of professors laughed as they left the Gryffindor portal. Minerva had introduced Paulo to the Fat Lady before, so the new professor wished the painting a pleasant evening before following Minerva down the steps. When they separated at the base of the stairs, neither noticed the unfamiliar noise or it stopping as they passed.

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After spending a bit of time catching up with their housemates and claiming their beds, Hermione and Harry left the Tower and went to the room they shared with their friends the year before. On arrival Hermione noticed all everyone except the Hufflepuffs were present. She hoped some of them would show up, she was still worried about Neville.

Theo was the first to see the Gryffindor newcomers. "Whose your new deputy? Ravenclaw has the new transfiguration professor. She was the one at the station with Professor Snape this afternoon and said we should call her Aurora. Flitwick about swallowed his tongue. It was hilarious. Slytherin has the new Ancient Runes wizard. What was his name again Draco?"

Draco stood to make room for Hermione on the couch and waved the newcomers over before answering the question. "Mitchell Upthrall, some wizard from the continent but never said exactly where and he seems a bit full of himself. Started in on how the secrets of the world could only be found in runes. Severus may have sent a silencing spell at him." Hermione settled next to Draco and everyone was pleased to see their relationship hadn't really changed much over the summer since not all of them had been invited to the birthday party a couple of days earlier.

The chatter between the second years continued until about thirty minutes before curfew. As conversations started to wrap up, a flustered Hannah Abbott rushed into the room. At her entrance the room quieted and turned their attention to the doorway. "Sorry, I'm late but I was sure you'd want to hear. Neville should be here by breakfast tomorrow. Something happened to his dad last night and the family is with him. It sounds like his dad is ok, but will be in the hospital for a while. Professor Sprout was really out of sorts. You know Neville is her favorite, but she said he is doing fine and spoke with him just before dinner."

Hermione was the first up and hugged Hannah. "Thanks for letting us know. I know I would have been worried about him until tomorrow morning, we had discussed where Neville could be on the train. But, Harry and I need to get going if we are going to make it back to the tower before curfew. I heard Filch on our way here talking about catching students out tonight." The rest of the students realized how close curfew was before made their way out of the room and toward their beds. With promises of 'see you at breakfast' everyone made it back to the dorms in short order.

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The first day of class was met with a clear sky and bright sunlight. Hermione's mood couldn't have been better. She had worked to push the unpleasant thoughts from the last few days from her mind and focus on just how exciting it was to be back at school. Humming to herself, she got ready for the day and went to the common room. As with her first year, she was one of the only students up this early; at her preferred table, the witch sat and pulled out a book Lucius had allowed her borrow from the Malfoy library. She would have studied for her classes but she didn't know her timetable yet and she was as prepared as she thought she could be for her first set of classes.

After discovering the change to History of Magic, Hermione decided she wanted to try and pick up as much as she could on what the current first years would be learning. The first year curriculum was focused on the magic of South America. Luckily the library at Malfoy Manor had all sorts of information and included a very large history section. This particular book was not on the books required for the first year's class, as Hermione finished those before leaving for Hogwarts, but detailed the mythical creatures and the lore around them a bit more than the required book. After what she had observed in the memories, she thought it would be a good way to turn the scary unknown into something more rational.

Hermione hadn't noticed when people started to filter downstairs but her reading was brought to a stop when Harry plucked the book from her hands. "Sorry Hermione, I'm hungry." The startled witch looked to see the house seemed well and truly awake.

"No, you were right. How long were you waiting on me?" The witch began to repack her bag as she spoke. "Plus if we aren't down there soon, I'm sure Draco and Daphne will be pounding on the portal door worried about us." Harry adjusted his bag while waiting for Hermione to stand. The pair weren't half way to the Hall when they met up with their Slytherin friends. As he always did, Draco smoothly removed Hermione's bag from her shoulder. "Sorry we are late. I was reading." Draco chuckled and gave his friend a hug.

Harry and Daphne settled behind the pair and silently nodded. Unbeknownst to either Hermione or Draco, Harry and Daphne had a pretty strong friendship. It started when Hermione and Draco would slip into their own little world and Harry wanted to talk with someone. Harry never felt as if they were excluding him, not at all, in fact he was making the effort to give the pair a bit of privacy. He knew both of his friends would feel horrible if they believed they were leaving him out.

The silent nod between the Gryffindor wizard and the Slytherin witch was an agreement to the continuation of their ongoing bet. Both knew the pair in front of them would end up a couple but the question was when. Harry was pretty sure Draco hadn't started to notice witches in _that_ way yet. Harry was pretty sure he hadn't started to notice them any differently either. He knew some witches looked nicer or smelled better than other witches but nothing like what Daphne described. Apparently she had an older brother who graduated a couple of years before and brought home a number of witches to meet the family. Harry found Daphne easy to speak to and similar to Hermione in a lot of ways. The difference between the pair of witches was in how Harry sorted them in his mind. His feelings for Daphne weren't as sisterly as the feelings he immediately had for Hermione after meeting her in Diagon Alley.

Daphne believed Hermione probably didn't notice wizards differently yet, but both of their friends would eventually. So the bet had been borne. Daphne believed by the end of the Yule holiday they would be a couple while Harry thought it would happen closer to the end of the school year, at the earliest. Both agreed to not interfere, but to keep the other informed of any advancements in the relationship they learned.

It was still before eight when they arrived at the Hall and settled at their house tables for breakfast. At eight the Headmistress stood and noticed it took quite a bit longer for her to get silence than it did her potions professor the night before. She glanced quickly at the man who had an unreadable expression but twitch of his nose and slight smirk told Sophie what she needed. Finally the witch called for everyone's attention and received the silence she needed.

"Good morning, your house heads will be distributing your class schedules or time tables shortly. If you have any questions, please address it with them. One additional item, starting today at lunch, I would like for the tables to be mingled. Please sit with your friends regardless of house. The only time you will be required to sit at your house table will be the first two meals of the year and the final meal at the end of the year. Otherwise, sit where you like." Some of the students were quite pleased with this change while some of the older students looked across the hall with a bit of weariness.

As soon as the announcement had been made, Hermione started to plan a rotation for their friends. Would they rotate every meal? Every day? Every week? So many possibilities to think about. She needed a calendar and group consensus. "Miss Granger?"

Hermione's eyes snapped up to see Professors McGonagall and Oliveira standing in front of her with a piece of parchment. "Sorry Professors, I was thinking about something." Professor McGonagall chuckled.

"Of course you were. If you and Mr. Potter will remain here, there are some things to discuss with you two and Mr. Malfoy regarding your schedules." The pair nodded before putting their heads together to compare classes. This year the classes were based on the total number of students in each track instead of just by house and were split between the advanced and standard tracks.

"So we have our core classes together, since those are the advanced track. I wonder if Draco will be in those classes with us or if there is a second set of advanced classes." As History of Magic did not have an advanced track, it was still split by house and the Gryffindors had that with Ravenclaw. Hermione nodded as she was looking at the times blocked out in the evenings. She looked at Harry's schedule and noticed they had the same nights blocked out.

"I guess Professor Snape was serious when he said he was going to have my extra Potions on the same night as you both." Hermione tapped the matching Monday and Wednesday evenings blocked off. Harry ran his finger down each day's lessons and was relieved he wouldn't have two potions or transfiguration lessons on the same day. "I'm sure they did it on purpose. I have to admit I'm pleased with the break as well." The pair had been whispering and didn't notice the appearance of others until, for the second time that morning, something was plucked from Hermione's fingers.

Draco just smiled at the witch. "Just wanted to make sure we had the same evenings blocked out. But it does look like we have different Herbology times. I guess there are more students on the advanced track in that one." Shrugging he handed the piece of paper back to the witch who was giving him a mock glare. It was then the trio noticed Professors McGonagall and Snape standing near them. The former had a smile playing about her lips while the latter glared at the children with a raised eyebrow.

"I assume you've already compared classes and are prepared to listen?" The trio simply turned their complete focus to the Potions Professor. "Since your last class today is the same, you will have an hour before you will meet for with me for your potions class. The class will run until dinner and then for two hours after. The same will be on Wednesdays when you meet with Professor McGonagall for Transfiguration." While the boys were watching their professors, Hermione was making notes on her schedule.

"We have adjusted the schedules this way to ensure you have time for any other after class activities in which you wish to participate. For tonight's lesson, come with just your books, parchment and quills. It will obviously be lecture and we will discuss expectations then. Hermione, I have a way for you to list all your questions regarding what the boys are doing. For tonight, the beginning of the class will be a short refresher on what the boys did this summer before they move onto the practical. It should take about an hours and then will start the third year lecture while the boys brew." As they had all come to expect, Severus spun on his heel and left the Hall.

After having spent the previous summer teaching the children and spending more time with her former student, Minerva found Severus cared deeply for the children before her and held them to a much higher expectation than the rest of the students. "For our first class, same as what Professor Snape said, paper, book and quills should be all you need for now. We will discuss everything else then. Enjoy your first day and I'll see you later in Transfiguration." With not quite as much flourish, but definitely more than the year prior, Professor McGonagall left.

"I think she might be taking lessons from Professor Snape on how to leave." Harry and Draco nodded in agreement noting the witch's robes had a bit more flutter to them than before. "Come on Harry we better be off, Herbology is first on the schedule today. Draco we will see you later in Transfiguration."

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Harry stopped a couple of times as they made their way toward the greenhouse and finally Hermione asked what his problem was. "This is going to sound crazy, but I've been hearing something since we got back to school. Draco didn't hear anything when I mentioned it so I dropped it. I don't always hear but when I do it's really obvious and it seems like I'm the only one." Hermione didn't think her friend was crazy but she didn't hear anything other than the normal sounds of the castle.

"I don't hear anything unusual but that doesn't mean you aren't hearing something. Is it noises or words or sounds…". Hermione trailed off as Harry was trying to come up with a way to explain.

"I guess words and sounds. Sometimes it's like the sounds are really close and I can hear words. They don't make sense and seem ominous, but I can hear them. Then other times it's the same sound but too far away to hear the words just the sound."

Hermione nodded. "Well, when you hear words, write down the words, where you heard them and talk to Professor Snape later." While Hermione wasn't hearing anything either, her not totally telling him he was crazy made Harry feel a bit more at ease with the situation.

Hermione put the conversation out of her mind and turned her total focus onto classes. Neville was settled at a table when they entered the greenhouse. The boy looked a bit haggard but not despondent. Hermione gave him a hug and was surprised by just how fiercely he returned it. "I'm glad to be back. The Healer said dad will be fine but the ingredients necessary for the potion aren't ready to be harvested yet so it will probably be a couple of months. We are hoping he'll be back by the Yule holiday but the healer wouldn't give us timing, just when the ingredients are ready. I just really miss him already and being able to talk to him about anything." Hugging him a bit more tightly, Hermione nodded into his shoulder. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to not have her parents and hoped she'd not find out any time soon.

Once Professor Sprout finished her introduction to the second year class, the group was divided and began to prepare dirt for the plants the first years would be learning about later in the day. Digging in the dirt seemed to help Neville's mood as by the end of the class he was in much better spirits. During the class Neville told Harry and Hermione the little bits of the conversation he had overheard from the aurors. Hermione began piece together the story as she knew it and what Neville was telling her. Her only thought was instead of the muggle family being attacked it was Neville's dad. Her heart broke.

"Did the aurors say anything about how it happened?"

Neville shook his head. "They were all in position and Dad was alone. As per the plan, apparently and it was just a fluke. I guess what happened to him could have happened to any of the team." Hermione hoped they figured out what the beast wanted and where it went before anyone else was attacked.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Lucius Malfoy had returned to the Ministry of Magic early on the second morning of September, with him was Rich Granger. After the Hogwarts Express had started on its journey the day before, Lucius received an urgent letter from the head of the DMLE requesting his presence at the Ministry. After a quick floo call to Severus asking for a favor. Lucius sent off a letter to the Headmistress of Hogwarts and offered to have Severus make her introduction to the school as an emergency had come up and he would be unable to get to Scotland on time.

The meetings that followed with the DMLE were tense and finally Lucius discovered what had happened. The shocked wizard provided any information he could based on what he knew and offered to return the next day with Rich Granger. The aurors sighed in relief, they hadn't wanted to admit they were in need of a muggle's help. Now the pair of men were here to try and give something more than what was already known. They were the first non-official to hear the unedited recording Frank made.

The static Rich was hearing in the recorded distracted him to the point where he was more focused on it than what Frank had been saying. "Would it be possible for the sound engineer to remove the static. It's quite distracting." The witches and wizards in the room turned to the muggle with confusion. "So this is a muggle thing. Lucius which words didn't you understand?" The room turned to the head of the Ancient and Noble House of Malfoy and watched as the man thought through what Rich had said.

"I think I know what static is. That's the scratchy or hissy sound we are hearing. Yes?" With a quick nod, Rich continued to watch his friend. "I guess what I'm confused about is the sound engineer. I know what an engineer is now, but how can they work with sound?"

Understanding where the confusion rested, Rich hoped he could explain it to Lucius and allow the wizard could explain it to the rest of those in the room. "Engineering is a quite broad subject. Sound engineers work in radio, television, movies and the like. They make sure you hear what you need to hear and reduce background noise. If it's not a speciality here, I'm not sure how we find one and still keep the statute." Shrugging the pair of men turned back to the aurors in the room. Lucius spent a good hour explaining what engineers are and then translating what Rich had said to them.

Amelia Bones sat in on the meetings and found herself interested in the opportunity to introduce something new into the department. She was surprised when the muggle did not find it unusual to have a voice recording and on further discussion, she found muggles had the ability for decades. With more than a bit a reticence, the witch asked the muggle if he could help the DMLE introduce more cutting edge items to their arsenal. Lucius and Rich agreed after obtaining a contract that would allow muggle items to have their magical buffer applied in order for use by the DMLE. The agreement was for Rich to provide a listing of items used by muggle police forces and a description of how they could be used by the DMLE in the future. The payment was negotiated by Lucius and the total made Rich's head spin.

While Rich was surprised at the value of the contract, the fact that Lucius had gotten wasn't a surprise. Jean often said the truly rich and successful didn't get by on their looks alone. It seemed his wife had been proved correct again.

Lucius requested a copy of the voice recording in hopes they could find someone who could work on removing the static. When the pair left the Ministry, they headed toward Malfoy Industries newest division. MG Technologies was located on a small parcel of land on the far edge of the Malfoy property. After searching for an appropriate location, magical Britain didn't have the structure to support this type of work and it couldn't be done in the muggle world. And so, Lucius built what was needed. When the pair arrived they found the lone employee, Matt Dempskey working on filling a recent order for televisions. The owner of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade had heard rumors about the introduction of a way to watch instead of just hearing news or events over the wireless. She wanted to draw in more customers on weeknights and non-Hogwarts weekend. While Lucius and Rich discussed what would be broadcast, Matt had figured out a way for television signals to be picked up by a very small and discrete antenna.

Lucius smiled when he saw the four large cameras sitting in the corner of the room. "Those complete?" Matt looked up and smiled before nodding. "Good, I can't go to the match this weekend, I'll be interested in seeing how the picture come across." The first endeavor Lucius made with this was to contact the English and Irish Quidditch League and request permission to film and broadcast the matches. After explaining what film and broadcasts were, the league agreed after discussing with the potential based on what they knew about muggle football. This season would be a test with no fees or royalties charged, but the potential was huge. The agreement was for those to start in subsequent years if it proved popular enough. The coming weekend would be the first trial run for the technology in real time. Rich claimed more cameras were needed but wanted for Lucius to see the difference between four cameras and what muggle football had.

Matt noticed the two men not leaving and walked over after applying the final charm to the television. "What can I do for you? I assume you have something more than hoping to watch quidditch this weekend."

"Do you know any sound engineers or have a mixer where I can mess with background noises?" Unknown to his friend, Rich had spent his college years as a deejay in order to help pay for his studies. Tweaking the different types of sound isn't new to him, but would probably take longer than a professional.

"No, not that are wizards. Surprisingly only a few of us want to go to school as long as I did. But I can get you a mixer. Do you have any preference? Once I get it set up with the charms, I'll get it to the house so you don't have to come out here to use it."

Rich thought about the board he used but knew it would be too dated to be of help to him. "I had a Numark DM-1150 but it would be considered ancient now. Jean sold mine years ago. So I guess, whatever is available and make sure it has instructions please."

"That is easily done. Let me get this last television completed and set up the delivery. I'll get the mixer picked out and hopefully they have it in stock. If so I should be able to get it ready to be used by tomorrow morning. I'll have Usher bring it over once it's done."

Having successfully completed their task, the two men returned to the Manor and filled their wives in on everything they had learned.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N - I hope you enjoy this early chapter. **_

_**This starts my favorite part of this year's story. The next two chapters take us from the start of school up to the end of the term. The Yule holiday introduces us to a thus far missing (beloved for some) character and the new year's ball. Lots of exciting stuff when school resumes after the holidays including the introduction of another favorite character. The beast is probably going to make a return and add to its count of victims. Who gets introduced? Who gets petrified? I'm not going to say, it would ruin the surprise. But feel free to guess. **_

_**See you in about eight days!**_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The first weekend of the school year had finally arrived and students took the opportunity to sleep in a bit and allow their bodies to remember just what was expected of them. Harry had found a bit of time over the week to work on his language studies but wanted to review it once more before sending it home. He knew he had until dinner, but he suspect Hermione would in the common room. She always helped him to focus and because it was so early, it would be a few hours before the Hall opened for breakfast. Grabbing his bag and what he would need, Harry made his way into the common room and as expected, he found Hermione working quietly at her table.

"Morning Hermione, would you mind if I reviewed my language work at the table with you?" He knew she wouldn't mind, but she had spread her books over the entire table. With an absent-minded nod, the witch quickly cleared half the table and Harry sat across from her. "Whatcha reading?" They hadn't been assigned any real homework yet, so whatever had grabbed Hermione's focus was something beyond their normal schoolwork.

"Mmmh, some magical creature books. Got 'em from Lucius." Harry watched as the witch looked highly confused. "Doesn't match up. The conclusion is that it isn't. But if it isn't than what is it?" Hermione's muttering didn't really make sense but once she was ready to talk, Harry would be there to listen. Nodding to himself, the young wizard dove into his work. As he worked he became engrossed in what he was doing and didn't realize how loudly he was speaking. "Harry, are you hissing?" Hermione's voice brought him out of his thoughts and he looked up to his friend.

"Huh?" The ever eloquent response was out of his mouth before he could think of a better one. "Hissing? No, I was working on the language that Kitmu's uncle was teaching me. They said it doesn't have a written form. So they provided the work in another language and I'm to translate it orally. Apparently the charm on the parchment will tell Kitmu if I did correctly. Did I not tell you about it?" Hermione shook her head while pushing her notes to the side. "Hold on, I wrote down what Gibby's told me. I thought it would interest you." Harry found and passed the pages of notes to Hermione who began to devour the new information.

Harry had to returned to his studies as his friend read the notes over and over. "It's really interesting. This language is said to be handed down through family lines. And it doesn't have a written component so how do people learn it? Just listening and repeating seems to be the answer." Hermione made some notes and ideas on cross referencing. "Harry?" The wizard looked up and turned his attention to the witch. "Did Gibby tell you what this language was called?"

The wizard shook his head. "When I send my work home I can ask Kitmu if it has a name. Do you think it will help?" Shrugging the witch set the notes to the side and returned to the task of trying to figure out what the muggle attacking beast was.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

When Draco woke that same Saturday morning, he found Marcus Flint settled in a quiet corner of the common room. The second year made his way over to find the older man working on Quidditch schematics. Draco watched as they played out on the parchment and how slight adjustments changed the outcomes. "How did you come up with that idea Marcus?" The older wizard startled, he hadn't heard Draco approach.

"Ah, the former captain started it but it was really basic. Over the last two years I've been working on making the drawings react more lifelike. It's a bit easier since the teams don't turn over that much. I just put my memories of the games into these and the spell shows the most likely results to each proposed situation. Ended up having to talk to Professor Snape who got me some extra books from the Restricted Section. They really helped with the charms needed." Pleased with what he was seeing, Marcus marked the first attack formation with a check and set it to the side.

Draco watched a bit longer and was really surprised at just how in-depth the plans were. It was almost as if all the games were already planned. "When are try outs?" Marcus gave Draco a curious look before finishing the new defensive strategy for their match against Ravenclaw.

"There aren't try outs this year, the players from last year's first year team are on the squad unless they opt to sit out. With the influx from your class, we have more than enough players for all the positions even if a few of you decide to sit. I've had Professor Snape reserve the pitch for Thursday nights. I think that works with your extra classes. At least that is what Snape said." Draco was extremely pleased knowing he was on the team and would get the chance to work with the older seekers. His smile was all Flint needed. "Good. I'll make the announcement this evening after curfew so everyone will be here." Flint turned his attention back to the plans while Draco remained and watched him work.

As it got closer to when the Hall would open, Draco excused himself and went to get Blaise from their room. When the two boys returned, they found Daphne sitting on the couch reading one of the magazines Hermione had given her. "Hey Daph, you ready to eat?" Nodding, the blonde witch closed the magazine and stood. The Slytherin trio left the dungeons and made their way up the steps.

On entering the Hall, they found their friends had commandeered two neighboring tables. When the students had arrived for lunch on their first day of classes, they found instead of the four long tables, dozens of smaller tables had replaced them. It made Hermione's attempt at a schedule easier since they just got to pick whatever table they wanted since there were no longer house affiliations. Draco found the seat next to Hermione empty and claimed it for his own before sending Harry a quick wave. The second years discussed their first week and what their plans for the day were. Since the weather was still nice, they wanted to take advantage of the sun and sit outside for a bit. Hermione mentioned something about going to the library later.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

After returning to its lair, the beast curled up for a short nap. It had taken quite a bit of energy to get to the home of his assigned target only to find the way blocked magically. It had been frustrating, but in the beast's mind, it could return to its original purpose and rid those not from proper families from the school. His master had been gone for a long time. When the heir finally opened the portal the beast found the school was much changed. Its freedom was short lived before the heir was forced to return the beast and seal the portal once more. The heir promised to return one day, but he hadn't. The old wizard was neither the heir nor was he another descendant of the master, but was able to communicate almost as well. The heir was gone now, at least that is what the old wizard had said.

The original portal build by his master to the school had been blocked for some time, but the heir had found it. The old wizard hadn't found it or figured out how to open it so, so he just created a secondary way for the beast to escape. Either way worked and the beast was intent to complete the mission it was given a thousand years earlier. As the beast fell into a sleep-like state the hisses escaping its mouth echoed through the stone walls and plumbing pipes on the other side of the stone walls.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Paulo sat in his office meditating. His visions came as they came and no amount of wanting to see something ever brought forth a vision. Paulo was happy the family had not been attacked but concerned something still happened. Maybe reality wasn't as bad as the vision, but a man was still unable to be with his family because something had gone wrong. The beast wasn't a boitatá, that was now obvious. The falling of the muggles wasn't because they were muggle but was because of the beast. So then, what other beasts exist that so resemble the Brazilian magical creature. He wasn't sure but hoped something would come to him in enough time to protect the next target.

Paulo's mind began to wander as he fell into a deeper and deeper trance. He couldn't see anything but heard hissing. Believing it was the beast, Paulo remained still and listened. Then there was a second voice also hissing. Were there two? Paulo pulled himself from the trance and thought about extracting the memory, but no longer having a contact at the Ministry and with Sophie busy, Alfonso had arrived earlier in the day, Paulo decided to let the vision remain untouched. In the end, he decided he needed to speak with someone else. He just didn't know who he could trust.

Looking at the clock, Paulo realized it was nearing the time for rounds. Today he was paired with the Head of the Slytherin House and Potions Master. He had not had much interaction with the other wizard, but from all accounts he was stern and formidable man who took great pride in his work. Standing to pull on his robes, Paulo left his office and made his way toward the steps leading him to the dungeons and the Potions Master's office. Severus had promised to show him the dungeons, how best to navigate them, and some of the areas used by students to miss being caught out after curfew.

Luckily for Paulo, he arrived just ahead of Severus. "Paulo, good to see you are punctual. Not all of our coworkers care for the time of others." Severus waved and pointed in the opposite direction of the steps leading out of the dungeons. As the pair walked, Severus pointed out multiple labs, although only one was used for the Hogwarts course curriculum. The others were assigned as needed to potion apprentices or used by the potion master himself when he needed to brew more sensitive potions without the risk of a student accidentally ruining it. There were also classrooms that could be used but hadn't been needed for a couple of centuries. As they circled around, Paulo found himself standing at the steps again.

Amazed at the labyrinth that were the dungeons of Hogwarts, Paulo stood a bit in awe. "How long did it take you to learn all of this?" He was worried he would get lost if he had to navigate the area alone.  
"I was a student here and have been a professor for a quite a few years. But to learn it, only my first year, I lived down here so it made sense for me to learn my way around." Severus didn't mention having to learn the layout in order to try and avoid his own bullies.

After spending a good couple of hours with the man, Paulo believed that maybe the Potions Master would listen to his worries. "Severus, I am not sure what you know of my abilities." The other man's expression was unreadable but not negative. Eventually Severus explained his relationship with the Malfoy family and his inclusion in the discussions regarding Paulo's vision of the attack. Paulo's expression changed immediately to happiness. "Maravilhoso! I will not have to explain then. I had another vision today. And before you worry, it was not like the last ones. It was of the beast in a dark cavern. It was hissing and then another voice responded. I do not know what it means but worry there are two."

Severus was stunned, in all the discussions with Lucius and by extension the Ministry, none had thought there could be more than one beast. "That is quite worrisome. From what I've been told, the beast is incredibly large which would mean wherever it lives is not a small place either." The younger wizard nodded, he hadn't thought of that angle. "So if there are two, the cavern must be as large as my dungeon."

Paulo's eyes closed and returned to the vision, it was dark but he had a sense the walls weren't that far apart. "No Severus, I don't believe that large. But, maybe, half the width but the length is long, I don't know if it's longer than this hall or not." Both men gazed at the main hall and realized, even not as large as the dungeon, it would still be a very large area.

"Paulo, I don't know what help a memory of a hissing beast would be, but let's put the memory in a safe place. I will make some inquiries to determine who has been assigned to the case." Paulo followed the man toward his private rooms and allowed his coworker to retrieve a copy of the memory. Paulo returned to his quarters and documented the circumstances around the vision.

Once Paulo had left, Severus unlocked his floo and made a call to Malfoy Manor. Luckily for Severus, Lucius was home and settled in the sitting room with Narcissa. "Severus this is a surprise, would you like to step through?" After a quick nod, the call was ended and a moment later Severus Snape was standing in the sitting room. "I hope Draco or any of the others haven't already gotten into trouble. They haven't been there a full week yet." The look on Severus' face quickly killed the jovial mood. "Severus?"

"Sorry Lucius, no the children are only up to normal things. They haven't even earned a detention yet." Narcissa's expression was more relieved while Lucius was still concerned why Severus was in Wiltshire instead of Scotland. "Paulo had another vision, but you jump to any conclusions, this one was nothing like the last one." Both of Malfoys immediately relaxed. "With Frank still petrified, Paulo wasn't sure who was trustworthy. After the rounds this evening, he felt comfortable enough with me to share the information. We've safely stored the memories and I thought you would probably know who took over the investigation or who should be informed of this development."

Lucius thought back over his initial meetings with Amelia Bones, after the witch had assumed responsibility over the investigation, and she was known to be very difficult to deal with, even on a good day. Plus after realizing her advancements weren't that advanced, when compared to muggles, it was not a "good" day and she had been a bit more surly that normal. "I'll figure something out. What was this vision?" Severus spent a few minutes describing what Paulo had told him. The inclusion of a second set of hisses worried everyone but it didn't provide any real detail on location or anything the DMLE would find useful. Lucius decided he'd discuss with Madam Bones during the next meeting which was scheduled for the Monday following the next. The meeting was to review new devices for the DMLE, but Lucius knew there would be enough time to discuss other pressing matters.

After a bit longer, Severus returned to Hogwarts and sent a note to Paulo informing him the information on his new vision had been relayed. In addition to Paulo, Severus sent an update on the vision to Minerva and Sophie. Only time would tell if the vision was meaningful.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Hermione had spent her Saturday morning and early afternoon with her friends. As the dinner drew near, she left to find a book to read that evening before bed. She had been so focused on mythical creatures, she realized she was starting to get a bit over zealous. Instead she decided to check out '_Hogwarts: A History_' again and have an enjoyable evening reading about her school. As she reached the section where books about the school and the founders were located, Hermione noticed a set of new books donated by Headmistress Mathews. Hermione ended up selecting a book related to the history of Ilvermorny; she knew this was the magical school for North America but knew little else about the school. She hoped the book would be as good as '_Hogwarts: A History_'.

After Hermione left for the library, the rest of the second years remained outdoors to enjoy as much of the sun as they could before dinnertime. Those playing quidditch discussed how none of the teams needed tryouts. It seemed all the house teams were in the same boat. They discussed what they had done over the summer and finally talked a bit about their first week of classes. As the dinner hour drew closer everyone made their way into the Hall. Draco noticed Hermione's absence first. After getting Harry's attention, the pair set off to the library. Neither boy noticed the figure in the shadows who began to follow the wizards.

When the boys arrived at the library they found their prey settled in a chair and completely wrapped up in a book. They tapped the witch on the shoulder and watched as she startled. Being careful to not make any unnecessary noise, less they earn a glare of the stern matron of the library, Hermione closed the book and accepted Draco's hand to help her stand. After leaving the library she began to apologize to her friends. Both of the boys just laughed. Harry put his arm around Hermione's shoulder and directed her toward the Hall while Draco placed Hermione's hand on his arm. The eyes watching the entire scene narrowed.

As the trio turned a corner, and left the view of the voyeur, Draco pulled Hermione from Harry. "What book is that?" Hermione began to detail the history of their sister school as they walked toward the Great Hall.

"What seems to the most interesting is the bit on Slytherin. One of his descendants established the school but before that happened there was a disagreement or sorts between the family. It doesn't say it in the book but it sounded like part of the family wanted to stay with older beliefs while the younger generation wanted to move to a more accepting stance. I think it had to do with whether or not muggleborns would be a valued member of the magical society or not."

Draco gave a bit more knowledge about who Slytherin was beyond a founder of the school. The explanation detailed the disagreement on whether to include muggleborns as students at Hogwarts. Hermione was surprised to learn the exact reason for Slytherin's departure a thousand years earlier. Hermione listened carefully and began to think about what she had read in '_Hogwarts: A History_'.

"So originally they all agreed and Slytherin changed his mind?"

Draco looked to the witch and took a moment to think. In the end, he just shrugged before continuing.

"I really don't know, the story is just there was a disagreement and Slytherin left. Before he was gone for good, or so the story goes, he left a creature that would ensure his vision for the school came true." Hermione just hummed in thought.

"I wonder if there are any books written about Slytherin, that tell more than the story you know." Hermione decided if anyone knew about such a book, it would be Draco's mother. If she didn't have it in the Malfoy library, she would be aware of what was in the Black library. Both family histories stretched to the time in question.

After dinner the group of second years made their way to their shared room and spent the evening much like the rest of their day. All were thankful to be back with their friends.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The weekend passed as they all do, far too quickly for everyone. As the second Monday of the year dawned, the weekend seemed forever ago for the inhabitants of the castle and the thought of the next weekend was too far away to even dream about. Hermione, at her unofficial but official, table on Monday morning, pulled her notes from the overstuffed bag at her feet. Her bag contained the notes for all her classes that day. They had been checked before being placed back into her bag, a quill (with a few extras in her custom quill case), enough ink to get her through the day and all the books she would need were packed carefully packed. After verifying she was prepared for the standard curriculum, Hermione had removed her notes from the previous week's supplemental potions class and began to review them. She wanted to ensure she was ready for her first practical lab that evening. Her attention was pulled from the notes by someone clearing their throat.

Hermione looked to see one of the first years standing in front of her. She thought his name was Colin, but wasn't totally sure. He seemed quite shy and for some odd reason, had a camera hanging around his neck. "Um Hermione, someone said that you and some other second years have a room where you hang out . Do you think some of us could use it as well?" Hermione thought and knew the room wasn't going to be large enough to hold many more students.

"I'm sorry Colin but I think the room is too small to hold many more students. But I can check to see if there is another room that can be used by you and your friends." Hermione was pleased she got his name correct when the boy's head bobbed in an excited nod and he quickly disappeared. Hermione didn't have time to get back into her studies before Harry made it downstairs to head to breakfast.

Hermione put Colin's request far from her mind and focused on her lessons for the day. That wasn't until lunch the request returned when she saw his eager eyes watching her. As she left for her afternoon classes she just smiled and nodded at the boy. She hoped to get out of the Hall before he caught up to her.

The day was pretty good and after her second Charms class of the year, Hermione found herself being drawn more toward Charms than Transfiguration but she wasn't going to mention that to anyone. Right now Charms seemed more practical than turning a beetle into a button.

At the end of their final regularly scheduled class and dropping off their extra things at the Tower, she and Harry made their way towards the potions classroom and were greeted by Draco at the end of the hall. The group walked together into the room and quickly went to their stations. Professor Snape entered and made his way to the front of the room while Hermione pulled out her notes, quills, and ink, the boys had their notes on the desk from last week on the potion they would start brewing shortly.

"Good evening, now like last week, I will start with the fifth year work and then move to the third year information. Before I begin Hermione, I believe last week worked very well. So we will continue every week in the same way." Hermione smiled before accepting an additional sheet of parchment. As he reminded the boys about the potion, she reviewed the comments left by Professor Snape. Since the boys wouldn't be getting a lecture, Hermione could focus on the what was added since she'd last seen the parchment.

At the beginning of the first class, Hermione was informed she was not to interrupt the fifth year coursework with her questions. She would be expected to document any questions or observations on the provided piece of parchment. If she determined the answer to a question during the course of the evening, she could write the answer. Severus would collect her questions at the end of the fifth year lecture for his review.

Hermione was pleased to note the responses to her questions included references to follow up or comments on when she would learn the answer. As the boys were released to get their ingredients and start their potion, the potions professor turned to Hermione.

"Go ahead and put that away, I think you'll be able to follow along with what's on there without my oversight." Hermione placed the parchment with her other notes and turned her full attention back to her professor. "Tonight we will continue the lecture on shrinking potions. I was impressed by your essay and it seems you've already read ahead on the topic." Hermione dropped her head for a moment before admitting she had read ahead. Severus saw a lot of himself in the girl with regard to her thirst for knowledge.

"Well, then let's get into discussing the Shrinking Potion and prepare you to brew it after dinner." The first topic was the standard brewing of the potion and how it would result in a fine potion; however, as with the majority of potions, Severus had spent years making small changes to the established brewing processes or ingredient preparation to produce potions that were more effective than the original. Once dinner drew near the boys reached the agreed stopping point, Severus secured the potions before everyone left the room and the room was warded as well. "I'll see you immediately after dinner. Based on where we are, we should be able to finish a bit early tonight."

In the Great Hall the trio found their friends and dung into their meals with relish. Between bites the second years caught up with friends they hadn't seen that day. After promising to meet up in their room after their potion lesson, they arrived at the classroom in time to see Professor Snape release the wards and open the door to the laboratory. While the boys returned to their stations to finish brewing, Hermione went into the supply cabinet to get the ingredients she would need. Remembering early lectures on finding the perfect ingredient, Hermione took her time in selecting each of the required items. As she finished her selections, she heard Professor Snape yell for the boys to duck and then an explosion.

Hermione burst into the room to find everything in tatters and Professor Snape laying over the boys. After a few heart stopping moments, all three began to groan. Before Hermione could get to the group, Professor Snape rolled off the boys and rubbed his head. Both of the boys looked stunned but not actually injured. "Professor Snape, are you ok? Do you want me to get Madam Pomfrey?" The still dazed professor shook his head and with a shaky hand, he sent a burst of silver light from his wand. He then leaned his head on the table behind him with a grunt and shut his eyes.

By this point the boys had righted themselves and were looking around the room in disbelief. A few minutes was all it took before they heard the sound of something outside of the door. A small tabby cat jumped into the room and morphed into Professor McGonagall. "I'm a touch faster in that form. What happened?" Surveying the room Minerva saw Severus and rushed over to him. "Severus?" The man in question just groaned again. Minerva raised her wand and sent another silver burst from her wand. A small, silver tabby cat appeared before looking at the witch. Minerva murmured a message to the etherial animal and it turned around before darting from the room. "It'll be ok Severus, Poppy and Sophie should be here in a moment."

Turning to the trio, Minerva saw they were all standing together. The boys looked a little rumpled while Hermione was just scared. "Miss Granger, I assume you weren't in the lab when this happened." After seeing the younger witch's agreement, Minerva's focus to moved to the two young wizards. "Mr. Malfoy, why don't you start and tell me what happened."

Before Draco could begin two sets of feet were heard moving quickly through the corridor. Hermione thought the people may have been running. Minerva raised her hand to Draco as he was about to begin his explanation. The medi-witch and headmistress burst their way into the room. "Poppy, Severus needs your assistance. He hasn't been able to tell me what happened and Mr. Malfoy was just about to explain." Poppy began to run multiple diagnostic spells and was able to determine a minor concussion was present but no other damage. With that relief, Draco found telling what happened easier.

"We came back from dinner and were starting the final steps on the potion for this week. Professor Snape had set a statis spell on the potions when we left for dinner in the Hall. The spell would not impact the brewing and Professor Snape removed the spell when we returned. Harry looked at his potion and realized something wasn't right. He called for Professor Snape and just as he arrived, the potion began to react. We only had a second before Professor Snape was yelling at us to duck and throwing himself over us. Luckily, Hermione had been in the stores room."

Sophie Mathews looked on in shock. She had heard of potions reacting poorly but to have something like this occur she wondered what potion was being brewed. She had yet to learn some of the students at Hogwarts could blow up water if they were told it was a potion. "What potion were you brewing Mr. Malfoy?"

"Draught of Peace ma'am." By this time Poppy had finished giving Severus several potions and the man was slowly coming around.

"Sophie, I watched both boys while they were brewing before dinner and they did nothing wrong. Harry called me over because his cauldron no longer looked like Draco's, which it had before dinner." The professors looked to the mess as Severus ran his own spell over it. As he read the results he looked to the ingredients and confirmed Shrivelfigs were not listed. "Harry, did you put Shrivelfigs in your potion at all?" The younger wizard looked confused before stating he had followed the ingredients to the letter since this was the first time he'd brewed this particular potion.

After confirming Severus and the boys were fine, Poppy left after warning Severus to get her if he felt the slightest bit off for the next couple of days. She mumbled something about mentioning symptoms to someone else as she left the room. No one seemed to hear her mention Aurora before disappearing though the door. Sophie and Minerva watched in confusion, both did well enough in potions to know the inclusion of the Shrivelfigs would cause the draught to explode. Minerva glanced at the board and noticed the instructions for the Shrinking Solution were written on the second board. Severus caught her gaze and nodded.

"Yes Minerva, Hermione was working on a Shrinking Solution as her assignment today. Since it does not take any great length of time, she hadn't started it before dinner. She was pulling her ingredients when the explosion happened. I truly do not believe any of them had anything to do with this." What Severus didn't say aloud but everyone understood, was someone else had accessed the room. The question was who and how.

"Professor would you like us to clean up this mess?" Draco had learned as a boy if you made a mess with potions it was your responsibility to clean up after your self but this was a different situation. Severus with a smirk and a raised eyebrow, vanished the mess and righted the tables. "That's a dead helpful spell…is it in a charms book?" Leveling a 'not now' look at his godson, Severus dismissed the children but not before saying next week they would determine how to rework the schedule so potions were not left unattended going forward.

The children, still a bit shocked at what happened, went to their shared room but decided to keep what happened a secret. The professors were asking each other questions in an effort to figure out what had happened. Severus reviewed the wards and noticed the ward had been breached but the alarm had been deactivated. It wasn't an extremely difficult ward but it should have stymied students. Any professor or master student should have had sufficient knowledge to take down the entire ward. So it was odd to only have had the alarm deactivated.

It seemed the answer wouldn't be figured out that day or that year.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

After a couple of days, and a regularly scheduled potions class, the trio were able to brush off what had happened Monday night. The boys were on the floor outside of the private room while Hermione and Daphne were completing a more intense workout Hermione's mom had put together. Harry was working a bit on his next assignment from Kitmu while Draco was reviewing some notes from Lucius. Neither were particularly fussed about finishing before Hermione was done, so they kept interrupting each other.

After a discussion on the latest quidditch results, the pair went back into their respective work. Harry leaned against the wall and began re-read his completed assignment. He was reviewing his essay on centaur history when he heard that strange voice again. This time he started to ask questions to the voice and hoped for a response. What he heard in response weren't answers to the questions he asked but more of the same uncomfortable commands Harry had been hearing on and off for a week. He was broken from his thoughts by Draco who was asking Harry was he was saying.

"Hm? I was hearing that voice again. Didn't you hear it?" Draco looked a bit wide eyed before responding.

"No Harry, you were hissing again. Didn't you realize it?" Harry became worried and decided he needed to discuss it with his friends. Luckily Hermione opened the door a few minutes later. Harry was feeling more and more uncomfortable with what the voice was saying.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Looking at the new mixer board, Rich smiled. He was having flashbacks to his college days and his head was bopping to a beat only he could hear. It had taken a little over a week for it to be delivered as the best option was only available by order and it had been on back order. Once it had arrived, it took Matt two days to place all the necessary spells on it. Today would be the first day Rich could actually use it for its intended purpose.

When Rich had been informed of the mixer's arrival and time frame for it to be ready, Rich had a very dazed look to his eyes. "Seriously Rich, it's just a mixer and I don't want to hear any new masterpieces until you've done whatever you have to do to help Frank. Agreed?" Rich's eyes lifted and saw Jean standing with her hands balled on her hips. With a bit of a sheepish nod, Rich tried to not be obvious about how excited he truly was.

Since the spells were all applied and Matt verified the mixer would work, the Lucius and Rich were standing in the open area of the building Matt used as his office. While Lucius stood and watched the other two were looking at the instructions with a quite giddy expression. Both reached for a set of instructions and started to read. Luckily for Rich, Matt also dabbled as a deejay during his muggle college years and was able to transfer the audio into a format the new mixer could read without ruining the original. With the addition of a few speakers, Rich planned to slowly filter out the static, but it would probably October before Rich dared to use the actual audio.

While Rich was learning about the mixer, Lucius reviewed the listing of muggle technology Rich had thought might be of use to the aurors. It seemed most were surveillance items ranging from video to audio to clothing but there were a few offensive items. Rich explained in the muggle world these were considered both offensive and defensive depending on the situation. It took a bit for Lucius to understand but finally it clicked. Muggles couldn't erect shields in order to protect themselves and if they were in a battle, the better the offensive tactic the more likely the muggle would survive. He now understood what Rich was saying when he mutter something about 'a good offense is the best defense' during a football match.

"Matt, when you are done with Rich, I'd like to discuss a few of these items with you." The other wizard nodded and placed the copy of the instructions he was reading down on the table.

"I could really get wrapped up in that, so it's best we just talk about the list now." Lucius chuckled knowing Matt was being completely honest. In addition to being honest, Matt was also extremely hard working and Lucius had no qualms about the incredibly high salary he was paying the man. Honesty and desire to work hard were difficult to find in any employee. While Matt may have been one of the few wizards with the necessary education and knowledge for the job, he was the best choice due to how very similar he was to his two bosses. "I was looking at the list the other day and have a few ideas on ways to better the muggle version of things." Lucius was quite intrigued by the comment and waved Matt to continue.

Matt walked over to a large chalkboard and started to point to a diagram with a flick of his wrist, the drawing began to move. "This is a drawing of a muggle video camera. It's similar to the cameras used to broadcast television but small enough for a muggle to hold." The drawn camera started to shrink and a stick man walked onto the board. Picking up the camera the drawing placed it on his shoulder. Lucius immediately noticed the size was smaller but still unwieldy.

"I don't understand how this can help the DMLE." Lucius understood the advantage of a camera but not that large.

"I agree so I've been looking into how it actually works. I've found one of the main reasons it's so large is the medium used to hold the recording." Matt held up a VHS tape and the shell of the video camera he had torn apart. "My thought is if we can come up with something smaller the entire set up can be reduced." Lucius saw a great market for something like this.

"This is a great idea, let's come up with a small version, maybe something the DMLE officers can attach to their robes. But, after that, let's figure out a larger version we can sell to the general public. I know our photos show some movement but it's not the same without sound."

"I will work on the camera angle first. After that, I was thinking about the offensive items muggle police use. I suspect some of these may not be impacted by magical defensive strategies, at least not right away." Matt pointed toward the items listed as firearms and other non-lethal weapons.

Rich had joined the conversation a few minutes earlier and nodded in agreement. "There are a few other defensive items Jean thought about last night. I think the DMLE would find them helpful if we could figure out a way for them to work against magic." After Lucius handed the list over, Rich began to scribble his additions to the list. Matt's eyes lit up when he saw the first defensive item listed.

Tapping the item, Matt looked to the other two. "That is something I've thought about as well. I need to look into a few things but since it doesn't use any electricity, magic won't impact it. For an auror to find it useful, I need to figure out how to make it strong enough to stop more than just physical items and possibly repelling curses." The kevlar vest was common place with muggle police, but Matt had always wondered what would happen if strengthening potions or other protective charms were applied to it.

It took a few minutes for Lucius to understand what a bullet was and how a vest could be bullet proof, but in the end he agreed it would be a very useful item if it could repel spells and curses without the wearer having to continually erect shields.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Kitmu and Gibby were settled in a small room at Malfoy Manor reviewing Harry's second set of homework. As they reviewed, Kitmu found Gibby to be pleased with what was in front of him. "The boy is good." To Kitmu this was high praise.  
"Hes been quick always." The other elf nodded before returning to the notes and determining what needed to be done the following week. "Gibby, he ask about what this language was called. I don't know." The older elf thought for a moment.

"Parseltongue." Kitmu nodded before responding to the boy's question from the previous week.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Thanks for being so cool about posting the last chapter early. My weekend was awesome and a nice break to the normality of adult life.**_

_**As I said in chapter five, this is my favorite stretch of the book. In this chapter we do get to see some communication between the kids and adults (as a few of you mentioned you hoped to see. ;) ). So one comment on this chapter, in this world Minerva was born in October 1935 (8 on October 4th) and so no, she wasn't a professor when Riddle attended the school. In fact, he had been gone for two years before Minerva's first year. That said, there were students at the school who would have remembered him and other events for which he may or may not have been responsible. I'm basing her age on what Pottermore said prior to the release of Fantastic Beasts 2. **_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Hermione woke on the Monday before her birthday. She knew her birthday was on Friday, but she suspected her father any maybe even friends had planned to celebrate the day all week. Hermione tried to get them to tell her their plans or just save it for the weekend. None of her friends would comment, but the glint their eyes told what she needed to know. Her father had decided to ignore any comments Hermione made in her letters about his plans and updates on the construction of their new house.

Hermione thought this week (and her birthday as a whole) seemed to come faster this year and before she knew it she would be a teenager. She certainly didn't feel any different knowing in four short days she'd officially pass into a new age bracket. She stretched in her bed before getting up to get ready for that day's classes, she thought over the coming week. Her friends complained about Mondays. Mainly since it was the first day of the week where you had a deadline to get out of bed. No lie-ins or slowly moving into the activities for the day. That thought process had merit. For Hermione, she never knew what to think of Wednesdays, it's the middle of the week and she was the same distance from the previous to the upcoming weekend.

Today didn't feel like a normal Monday and weekend seemed a touch closer than it should. She was excited, as excited as one could be on a Monday, but a touch worried on just what her father would have selected as her present. She decided regardless of the size, she would put it in her bag and open in private once it was delivered. She also expected the arrival to be amid some sort of spectacle.

After dressing and collecting the books and notes she would need for the day, Hermione wasn't surprised she was one of the first students to the common room. She was slightly surprised was when she found Harry dressed with his bag studying at their table. Her friend was obviously focused and didn't notice her sitting across from him. "Good morning Harry." Hermione immediately recognized the handwriting on the parchment as Kitmu's so she assumed Harry was working on his language study early this week. "What has Kitmu got you doing now?" Harry blinked at Hermione and began to stretch.

"Like the first assignment, but he did respond to the questions I asked." Harry slid the piece of folded parchment toward his friend. Hermione read the note and immediately pulled out a notebook and began to compare what Kitmu had provided with what she had been able to find.

"This is interesting Harry and it agrees with everything I've found in my research." Looking to the clock in the room Hermione noticed the Hall would be opening soon. "Let's get to the hall and maybe Professor Snape will be there." Since Harry was getting hungry it was an easy decision and within a few minutes the pair were on their way.

The doors had just opened when they entered and saw all the professors eating. It hadn't dawned on them the professors never seemed to eat breakfast in the morning. Professor Snape set his napkin on the plate before it vanished telling the girl the professor had finished his meal. "I'm going to talk to him now." Harry followed Hermione toward the high table while Severus watched the approaching pair and nodded when they paused.

"Good Morning Professor. I know we have our additional potions class this evening but would you have time for a discussion either before classes or during our open period?" The wizard thought on his day and did not have any open periods that coincided with the children. As he was thinking, Draco made his appearance and shot Harry a questioning look. The dark haired wizard just mouthed '_later_'. "If you three can finish your breakfast quickly, we can discuss whatever before your first class." Hermione spun quickly and beckoning the boys to follow her.

"Let's eat. I think this is something important but I can't figure out why. Ok?" The boys looked to each other and decided to not question her until they had spoken with Professor Snape. Severus watched the trio as they ate their fill and returned to the head table in a remarkably quick time. They followed close when the surly professor stood and left the Hall. Minerva watched the scene unfold and made a note to discuss whatever this was with Severus later in the day.

Unlocking the door to his office, Severus shuffled everyone in before he shut and silenced the room. For some reason he felt it was important to keep this between only a few people. "Now explain." Severus looked directly to the young witch who, while keeping the younger wizards in line, also seemed to have an ability to see things others missed.

"Um, I think the best way to describe is to make sure you know everything I've been doing this year." Severus raised his eyebrow and waved for the witch to continue. "When we got back to school and heard about Neville's dad, I knew that while the muggle family in my old house had been saved, someone else was injured." Hermione pulled out her notebook and set it on the table. "This is the notebook where I detailed everything I saw in the vision and what I've found in the library regarding magical creatures. In short, I don't think the beast is a boitatá." Severus nodded. "I had figured the aurors would have come to the same conclusion."  
Severus was pleased to see she wasn't upset to find out others had previously came to the same conclusion. While Hermione was very intelligent, she was still a young witch and those in the DMLE and Department of Magical Creatures had decades of experience.

Severus spoke to give her some additional information. "They are still unsure what the beast could be, but a boitatá has been ruled out."

"Um, this may seem random, but please hear me out." While Hermione took a tangent to the discussion, Harry and Draco were honestly lost. They hadn't thought much about the beast more than it was dangerous but after growing up in the magical world, they believed the DMLE would figure it out. The fact the group who the entire wizarding relied on keeping them safe were lost on the origin of the beast was worrisome. Unaware of her friend's thoughts, Hermione continued on. "This summer Harry's lessons were focused on the languages of magical creatures. The last language he was taught wasn't from Kitmu but an uncle called Gibby." Hermione looked to Harry who nodded.

"Yes Hermione, Lucius had mentioned Gibby. He is well known for his language skills and is much sought after." Hermione nodded eagerly while flipped through her notes. Once she found the page she wanted, she set it in front of the professor and tapped on a sentence.

"The language Harry learned is something called Parseltongue." At Professor Snape's surprised expression, Hermione continued. "I thought it was a familiar term so I went back through the books I had read and found a reference to it in some of the books Headmistress Mathews added to the library. So I asked Narcissa if either of the family libraries had something on it. This is what she sent me." Hermione then extracted a book and set it on the desk next to the notebook. "This is a book written about five hundred years ago by a secret descendant of Salazar Slytherin who proved a bit more information on the man and his talents. I can't find any other book that goes into this much detail regarding him, but if this is true than I think…". Hermione was interrupted when Severus raised his hand.

"I share your concern. Have you been able to discover anything about what happened during the 1942-1943 school year?" The dates had no meaning to Hermione. Severus sighed and glanced at the clock. "We do not have the time to go over everything. Know that I think you are on the correct track and there are things you haven't been told. We will discuss after your classes finish for the day and before our class. May I keep your notes Hermione?" The witch explained it was a copy and linked to her original notebook. The copy would update as she added or changed things. Seemingly impressed, Severus waved his wand over the copy. "Now, if I make any changes to this, you will see those in your notebook as well."

Happy that she hadn't wasted her time, Hermione and the boys promised to not mention anything they had discussed, before heading out for their first class of the day. Shortly after the trio left, Severus sent a note to Minerva and scheduled a meeting during their shared planning period before lunch. The professor then began to read the notebook and found all of the notes that Harry shared including the 'voice' the boy had been hearing since his return to the castle. '_Come…come to me…let me rip you…let me tear you…". _

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Since the trio had left the Hall before the owl deliveries, Hermione's first birthday present was delivered at lunch. The not so inconspicuous package from her parents was wrapped in bright muggle wrapping paper which had apparently been charmed to since the muggle happy birthday song on repeat. Hermione didn't trust the innocent looking item and placed it in her bag. "Aren't you going to open it?" The question seemed to come from everyone around her. "No, I'll do it later when I have more time."

Draco knew exactly why and privately he was pleased. She was still upset about last year and he didn't think Rich would send anything not somewhat embarrassing. And because of that, Draco was happy he wouldn't have to stifle his laughter. It took him a bit too long to realize Hermione hadn't appreciated how much he had laughed the year before. He knew she still used that quill box, but it always remained safely hidden in her bag. He squeezed her hand under the table in silent support. Hermione glanced and gave him a squeeze in return. The pair sat hand in hand for the rest of lunch.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The rest of the day seemed to fly by and finally the trio made their way into the dungeons and toward the potions classroom. After lunch, Severus informed them the discussion on Hermione's theory would take place in the potions classroom before the class would begin. After taking their seats, they were surprised to see Professor McGonagall, Headmistress Mathews and an old elf walk into the room. After the new arrivals also sat, Hermione noticed the copy of her notebook and the book from the library were on the table.

"Hermione, before we go into detail on what your research has found, I want to tell you how impressed we all are on your methods. The leap to get to this was rather large but we believe you have made a correct assumption. I don't believe you or Draco ever met Kitmu's uncle, this is Gibby." The children all turned to the elf and nodded their heads in respect to the small creature. "We have discussed a number of things with him today which support your ideas. I want you to listen to what Headmistress Mathews and Professor McGonagall have to tell you. As you said earlier Hermione, this may seem somewhat random but it will all connect, sooner than you may realize."

The Headmistress gazed at all in the room and stood. "It seems the books I added to the library were more useful that I had anticipated. Severus mentioned not finding any books to verify the claims in the book by Harold Sayre that Mrs. Malfoy provided. I contacted Ilvermorny and they loaned me a few other books. These will not be in the library and depending on what we find in them, we may allow you to read them later." Hermione's eyes widen but she said nothing.

Sophie chuckled before continuing. "I read your questions related to the founders and realized those were my same questions when I read about them. I don't think the questions related to how they came together are important just now. But, I think, the questions regarding their break up and the rumors of what each of did afterwards are important." With a sigh Sophie turned to her deputy head, she was not looking forward to hearing this story again.

Minerva took one deep breath and began the tale of the chamber of secrets. "As you have found in your reading, when Slytherin left Hogwarts he warned the others at some point his heir would free a creature. This creature was tasked to complete Slytherin's quest. It was thought to have only been a rumor for almost a thousand years. Slytherin's descendants were watched for almost five hundred years before most believed the threat to be nothing more than empty words."

The look of anguish in Minerva's eye gave the students a sense of dread they had never felt. "A few of years before my own start at Hogwarts the rumors proved to be true. Salazar's creature was freed and allowed to roam the halls of the school. At some point the lair of the beast was named the chamber of secrets and became as mythical as the beast itself. The beast was known to be in the school for just a part of one school year. After a student had been identified as releasing the beast, the attacks stopped. Before the attacks stopped, another student had been killed." Minerva watched the students sadly.

"The student who was identified as responsible, I believe to be innocent, but there was enough circumstantial evidence to ensure he would not graduate and be allowed to practice magic. At the time of the attacks, the boy who had been the one to identify the other student as responsible was a fifth year prefect named Tom. When Tom grew older he began to rally for a wizarding world free of muggleborns. After some research, it was discovered Tom was actually the last known descendant of Salazar Slytherin through his mother. The case of the chamber was reopened about the time you were all born and based on the original investigations notes and memories; the DMLE changed their opinion to believe the true culprit was none other than Tom himself. It was just one of the charges brought against the man. Eventually the he was found to be incapable of living with the general wizarding world and sentenced to a sanitarium of sorts."

Hermione tentatively raised her hand and looked to the adults before she even thought about opening her mouth. With a bit of a smirk, Severus beckoned for the witch to speak. "Would it be safe to believe that when Gibby told Harry there was only one person left who could speak Parseltongue but didn't have the mind to do it, he was talking about this Tom guy?" The professors nodded. "So do you know how he released the creature while he was in school?" As Hermione's question fell from her lips, Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and interrupted her.

"Wait, are you all saying the Slytherin's beast is what attacked Neville's dad? And that it is at the school? Are any of us safe?" Draco's panted questioned caused Harry and Hermione to gasp. Hermione hadn't actually thought that yet, probably because she had unanswered questions.

"We don't know Draco. But what we do know, is that Harry is a parseltongue and if the beast is still at Hogwarts he should be able to communicate with it. In fact, based on what you've already told me about the things Harry has heard, I believe he has already spoken to it." Harry was surprised at the revelation.

"Well, I guess I'm glad that I'm not crazy, but from what Hermione told us about the beast, it's huge." Professor McGonagall cleared her throat and once she had everyone's attention she spoke.

"We aren't allowing you to interact directly with the beast. Severus has informed us of what you've been hearing, have you been able to communicate with the beast?"

"No Professor, last night, when we were waiting for Hermione to finish her yoga, I heard it and tried to communicate but what I heard afterward didn't make sense. It was out of context." Severus leaned his head against the wall and shut his eyes. Everything that had happened, everything that could happen. It was then his eyes popped open.

"Sophie, that last vision of Paulo's, it was just the beast hissing with a second voice. We had thought it was a second beast, but what if it was Harry?" Sophie sat eagerly before calling for the vision and Paulo. It took a bit longer for the vision and the pensive to make their way to the dungeon but they arrived shortly after Paulo. The wizard was quite interested in what was happening as the vision was poured into the pensive. "I will play this vision on the wall, but there is nothing to see. Harry, you must listen and tell me what you are hearing."

As the sound of eery hissing filled the room, Harry's eyes bulged a bit before hearing his own response. "That was from last night. That second voice is mine. I was asking it questions. The response was simply repeating the same words, '_hungry, so hungry'. _ The questions I asked were what the creature was, where it was, who it was, just me trying to prove to myself I wasn't losing my mind."

Gibby stood quietly in the corner listening to the beast and the boy. "This beast is the one left by Salazar himself. The family has records, I will be back." Before anyone could respond the elf popped out of the room.

"Severus, I feel this is getting beyond a Hogwarts issue, would it be possible to contact whomever at the Ministry and request their presence?" Severus stepped into his office and called Malfoy Manor; after informing Lucius it was time to bring Amelia Bones in, Severus returned to his classroom.

"Lucius will contact the DMLE. Since Frank is still at St. Mungo's, Madam Bones has taken over the case. Ah, Sophie I would like you to be prepared, Amelia can be … intense. She and her family have been through quite a bit over the last few years and has only been back in her role at the DMLE for a little under a year. She doesn't take kindly to others doing the work of her department but has acknowledged the need to include others when necessary." Minerva rolled her eyes at the description. She remembered Amelia as a student and intense was a kind way to describe her. As head girl, Amelia walked a very narrow path and was very black and white when it came to right and wrong. Hopefully, she wouldn't be too difficult.

As the dinner hour drew near, Sophie and Paulo left while Minerva called for the meal to be served in the classroom for those remaining. "Miss Granger, I must say, I'm quite impressed with what I read in your notes. Some of the conclusions you made were unsupported so we will work on that as we go on. I understand the need for it, since you knew where you needed to be and where you currently were." Hermione continued to eat before thanking the witch.

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Amelia Bones was surprised when she received a request from Lucius Malfoy for a meeting. She had met with Lucius and his muggle partner earlier in the day and was still a bit irate at just how much the Ministry would have to pay for muggle technology. She was not in the mood to renegotiate a deal that was already substantially in their favor. After muttering a few choice words, she responded with her acceptance and informed the overly blond wizard her floo would accept his visit.

The witch cleared her desk and settled facing the fire as the green flames spun to life and died once the wizard in question arrived. "Amelia, thank you for this. I know it's late and unexpected. I received a note from Hogwarts and they have requested the DMLE presence. If you are available, it's related to the case Frank Longbottom had been on before his accident."

Amelia looked surprised. "This was not what I was expecting. Do I need to bring aurors? Has the beast been found? Another attack?" Her mind had flipped into auror mode immediately and her questions were flying quickly from her lips.

"No, I believe the beast is still hidden but this is more a theory on where it could be." Amelia stood and without any additional questions, she called for her cloak and bag of necessary items. "We are going to the Potions Master's Office, if you will follow me." Lucius didn't wait for a reply as he stepped in the grate he throw a handful of floo powder on the ground. "Severus Snape's Office, Hogwarts School." The wizard spun away with the witch quickly on his heels.

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On arriving they were met by Severus who ushered the pair into the classroom and motioned for them to sit in two unoccupied chairs. "Sophie and Paulo will be notified of your arrival and send the students to their dorms for the night. They are in the Great Hall but are waiting to be called back here." Minerva sent the message and quietly called for one of the Hogwarts house elves to clean up the dishes.

Once Sophie and Paulo had arrived Severus began to explain what had been discussed that day. "Madam Bones, much of what we are going to say is quite speculative in nature, but at this point nothing else can explain what has been happening these last few weeks." Just as the Hogwarts Professors were ready to begin their explanation Gibby returned with a pop.

The elf handed a book and some loose parchment to Severus before settling himself near the back of the room. He found it better to see everyone and be forgotten. Severus flipped through the parchment and noted a detailed drawing of a portion of the school's second floor with an area circled with "site of new plumbing" written above the red circle. Severus quickly identified what the location was now and passed the notes onto the others. It was the book that had his attention.

"Madam Bones, I believe I know where the entrance is. Apparently all the descendants of Slytherin knew but only one ever opened it." After handing the book to down the line, he continued. "The entrance is hidden in plain site. I do not believe it's been open since 1943. However, since the beast has escaped there must be a secondary opening. We need to find that opening before we attempt to open the original portal."

By this time the notes and book had made their way to Amelia, who was reading everything with a surprised expression. "Are you telling me the beast that attacked my second in command is actually the beast Salazar Slytherin supposedly left nearly a thousand years ago?" Severus looked to the witch with an expression that was devoid of emotion but could readily be identified as saying _obviously_.

He took a few moments to ensure Amelia understood what he wanted to say before responding. "As I said, there are some metaphorical leaps but they aren't as large as you may believe. This information only provides a bit more support to our current belief. If you will allow it, I will explain what we've put together through research, personal experiences and some well timed questions."

Severus went through all the evidence Hermione had gathered and then Harry's experiences. Amelia was shocked to learn the young boy was a parseltongue and quite intrigued to find the young witch had put together much of the research with just some books from the library. Amelia needed to read through everything and have some discussions with the Head of the Department of Mysteries before moving forward with anything, but did promise to keep Lucius updated on their findings. Finally she asked if Harry did end up communicating with the beast for him to immediately inform the headmistress or one of the professors. The witch turned to leave, and almost as an afterthought asked a question that had Lucius shaking his head. "Has Mr. Potter listened to the recording from Frank yet? That _static_ may actually be the beast." With that the witch left.

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"I need to get a copy of the audio from Rich and will bring it. I'm leery to play it really, just based on what Harry's already heard." Before he could continue the old elf spoke up.

"I will listen, the boy doesn't need to know." The elf again was silent and prepared himself to again hear the beast his family had always known was real. It worried him just what the beast would say and hoped it would give him some insight on what was occurring.

"Thank you Gibby, that seems like a better alternative. Would it be ok if Harry led us to some of the places where he heard the voice?" Lucius wanted the beast to be removed from the school before it turned its attention toward the school's population. The group walked through the school while Harry pointed out all the locations. Severus added one location to the tour and as they approached the girl's bathroom on the second floor, there was an oppressive feeling in the air.

Gibby stated he wanted to check the entrance first and after receiving an all clear, Minerva and Sophie walked into the flooded bathroom. "Hello Myrtle." Minerva's quiet voice filled the room as the translucent memory of Myrtle Warren appeared from the wall. The ghost acknowledged the woman and gazed at the new woman. With a shrug toward her, Myrtle raised a questioning look to Minerva. "This is Sophie Mathews. She is the new headmistress, as I'm sure you have heard, Albus is gone now." The ghost looked a bit speculative and then opened her mouth. Minerva was prepared to hear the moans the girl had become known to do but was surprised.

In a quiet whisper, like the last of the wind through the trees. "Is he really gone?" At Minerva's nod the ghost seemed to almost sag in relief. "He was so mad that I never told him how I died or who was involved. He swore if I told anyone else he would make sure I was banished. He said he knew how to make a ghost's life horrible. He allowed me to be killed, so why couldn't he have know something more about ghosts?"

Minerva settled on the bench and the ghost moved to sit next to the elder professor. As a student Minerva had met Myrtle and found when the girl wasn't in a mood, she was a good companion. Myrtle must have remembered those early days as she whispered how much she missed talking to Minerva. "Myrtle, did Albus bind you to this room?"

The ghost sat for a moment in thought. "I don't know but he said I was unable to leave." Minerva's anger increased at the thought of what the old wizard did. "Since he is gone, I can tell you what happened, right?" At Minerva's nod the ghost went into her story. The bullying the girl experienced seemed to be pretty standard at the school. Severus could testify to similar and worse experiences. When she got to her last day as a mortal, both of the witches in the room sat up straight.

"I was in here crying, sort of hidden when a fifth year boy came into the room. The Slytherin prefect, he was one of the few that didn't speak to me but his hatred was more obvious to me. He stood in front of that sink and began to hiss. The sink moved and shortly thereafter something came out of the opening. It was so hideous and then it looked at me. I don't believe I lived a second longer. I watched as the boy's expression changed from shock to something more smug. He sent the beast back into the opening and closed it. He extracted a book and his wand before doing some spell. He began to spasm and the book shook at the same time. There was a bright light and the boy picked up the book and left the bathroom. I don't know what happened but since that day the boy never returned here nor has the opening been accessed."

The witches listened with awe, Myrtle proved what the DMLE believed and determined Severus's theory about there being a secondary open was correct. "Myrtle, do you want to move on? Or would you prefer to stay at Hogwarts? We can ensure your ability to leave this room, if you desire."

The ghost floated up and appeared to be in thought. "Do I have to decide right now?" When the witches shook their heads, the ghost relaxed a bit more. "I will think on it and let you know. I promise to not be as troublesome going forward. I think with him gone and telling someone my story, I am starting to feel better."

After a few more minutes of discussion, the living witches left the room to find everyone else standing outside the door. "You were correct, Myrtle confirmed the opening hasn't been accessed since she died. She also validated who was responsible for it being opened in the first place."

Lucius had been standing in the back of the group with the children. He knew their curiosity would lead them to trying to figure out what was going on and he wanted to nix that. "I don't want any of you to start to look for either of the openings. We will provide you with all the information during Christmas if not before then. I think you can all handle that." With a bit of reluctance, the children accepted their new restriction.

"Does that mean I have to stop researching?" Laughing Lucius just shook his head knowing if even he said yes the young witch would figure out some way around it.

Hermione wondered if the rest of her birthday week would be as exciting as Monday had been. Professor Snape informed the children their potions class would meeting Saturday as they had accomplished nothing that evening. While there were a few individuals who knew of the beast, it was decided all information regarding Slytherin and his creature would be kept from the majority of the school to limit panic. In a twist of fate, the only person that would be able to warn the school and those in it, was the same boy, who in another life and time, would have fought the beast personally protect the same group.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Welcome to the new followers of year 2. To those who have favorited, it warms my heart when I get that notification. And my **_**_reviewers, there is always a nervous anticipation when I get the email telling me I have a new review and when I see a repeater or a new user it makes me smile. To all of you and those who find the story and are reading, you are all rock stars in my book._**

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After the discoveries in mid-September, nothing else happened. Hermione's actual birthday came and went with her father earning her ire once more. She was pleased when neither Draco nor Harry joined in the abundant laughter when the oversized teddy bear walked into the Hall on Friday evening and serenaded the witch for twenty minutes. After the completion of the song and taking the requisite bow, the bear invited the second years to head to their room for cake and ice cream. When Hermione and the boys arrived they found everyone, including parents, waiting for them. Jean hugged her daughter and wished her the happiest of days and suggested she open the present from her dad in her room. With a wink and a quick kiss, Jean stepped away and Rich rubbed his hands like a cartoon villain. Needless to say, Hermione opened all her gifts in her room after drawing her bed curtains closed.

While the beast appeared to remain in his chamber, the DMLE were onsite randomly searching for the second entrance, and the students continued on with their lives. Quidditch practice started and Hermione found her time with the boys decreased. Her favorite nights were Monday and Wednesday when the trio would join forces for their extra classes. The new fears found during the middle of September were calmed by the balm of October normality. The professors continued to be on edge and the worry of what would happen when the beast decided to go roaming again.

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Hermione's research had been replicated and shared with the DMLE, Department of Mysteries and Department of Magical Creatures. The combined efforts of the three departments found quite a bit of information on the beast. Most involved believed the creature to be a basilisk but the theory could not be confirmed until the beast was found.

Currently the Department of International Co-Operation was working with the ministries in Greece and the United States. Both had experience with a basilisk more recently than the British. A basilisk had not been confirmed in the UK since the Middle Ages when the practice of hatching one was banned and in some respects they were lucky transporting a basilisk was a death sentence.

Amelia had kept her promise and provided updates to Lucius Malfoy on a semi-regular basis. The DMLE's work was slow going but had been assisted with the information obtained by the Hogwarts Headmistress. During one of the regular meetings discussing the advancement of technology the DMLE used, Lucius had mentioned an interesting discussion he had with the portrait of his father.

"Father was a few years younger than Riddle and found the older Slytherin to be quite horrid. Apparently the boy had been abused by the muggles in charge of the orphanage where he was raised. From those experiences a true hatred of muggles was born. According to Father, Riddle would discuss his childhood in the common room and went on to explain how at a young age he had found the ability to control his magic and 'hurt' others. Father believed Dumbledore was aware of this and did nothing. As Father was talking I couldn't help but wonder about the man. We know Riddle was responsible for releasing the beast and that Dumbledore knew something more than he let on."

The witch on the other side of the table seemed interested in what Lucius had to say and nodded the man to continue.

"I think we can all agree that Dumbledore wanted to be seen as the most powerful wizard since Merlin. He probably wanted to be known as even more powerful than that. Myrtle had mentioned something about Riddle doing a spell after her death. It's taken quite a bit of research on my part and authorization to access some darker magic references but I think Riddle produced a horcrux that day." Amelia's eyes went wide at the implication and her whispered no was met with a single firm nod. "When he was caught did anyone make mention of his appearance? Once convicted and determined he was mentally unfit, has the ministry kept tabs on him? Does he resemble a sixty-six year old wizard?" Amelia neither knew how those sentenced to the sanitarium were managed nor the long term effects of a horcrux on the maker.

"I will look into this man well. So this book the ghost spoke of, is that what you believe the horcrux to be?"

"Yes, but honestly if the boy was broken enough to make one at fifteen how are we sure there was the only one? From what I found, the item used must have some sort of connection to the person creating it. Father mentioned Riddle's obsession with the Hogwarts founders and after graduating his desire to explore the mystery of them. Everything known about the founders is so shrouded in the past, it's difficult to know what is trie but myths are based on reality to some extent. Riddle was free to do as he wished for nearly twenty years before his recruitment of followers reached the attention of the Ministry. Who knows what he may or may not have found during that time. Father said he was exceptionally intelligent and excelled at research." Lucius felt the concerns not related to the beast were safely addressed and stood with Rich to leave the meeting.

"I'll let you know what we find out about this. I would appreciate your silence on this matter as well." The pair of men solemnly agreed and left the office before heading to the fireplaces in the Atrium to return to the Manor. Jean had asked if there were others who might have known Tom Riddle and could provide some additional insight on him or his plans before he disappeared. Lucius began the arduous task of speaking with bigoted portraits in the homes of his friends. Most raged on about how disgraceful it was for the inclusion of those not fit to be magical; however, during the rants some of the portraits gave important bits of information that could be used in the future.

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October's cold wind blew in the first storm of the season near the end of the month and ensured any of the plants struggling to survive the colder temperatures were no more. As Halloween drew closer, Hermione put her studies to the side as her friends began to plan their own celebration. After Draco's impromptu Valentine's Day party the year before, the second years decided to have small gathering for all the holidays, magical or muggle, real or not.

The party was just as successful as the February offering. In keeping with the muggle tradition, the children decided to dress up for the party. After an enjoyable celebration, the attendees returned to their dorms, change out of their costumes in order to participate in the Samhain observance. As she did the prior year, Hermione left an offering for her grandparents. This year she felt more than just her grandmother and after walking between the bonfires, she turned to see two wisps of something. Hermione had only known her one grandmother but believed the other spirit was her other grandmother. Maybe in the coming years she could finally 'meet' her grandfathers.

The day's activities had drained all the second years and shortly after the flames had been extinguished the group found themselves heading toward their beds. They had classes the next day and didn't want to lose the ability to celebrate due to not getting enough sleep.

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After the explosion during the second week of the children's extra potions lesson, it was decided to modify the timing of the potions lesson slightly. They would still meet the two hours before dinner and Harry and Draco would receive their lecture for the first ninety minutes and review their notes for thirty minutes before dinner. While the boys were reviewing and making final notes on what they would need to do, Hermione would get thirty minutes of lecture before dinner. After dinner, the boys would start their practical and Hermione would either receive the rest of her lecture or start the week's practical work.

As the weeks went on and unknown to the children, Severus found it difficult to teach two different courses breaking at that point, but he didn't want to spend an additional evening teaching, as he did have other responsibilities and recently had some unexpected but not wholly unpleasant interactions with the other staff. In the end, he decided to do his best and make sure the boys were ready to sit for the OWL at the end of this school year.

Hermione continued to read ahead and was always prepared for that week's lecture. Severus, Minerva and Sophie discussed other options and decided to potentially use an occasional Saturday for any potions not able to be finished in the allocated time.

As the term continued and Severus continued focus on the boys sitting for their OWLs, the stress began to wear on the boys. Severus scheduled three Saturday sessions in order to ensure they remained on target for finishing the required coursework with enough time to study by the end of the year. Hermione had not always been required to attend the Saturday sessions, due to the significant difference between the third and fifth year work. On those days, she would attend if only to watch and continue to document how the boys prepared their ingredients and suggestions Severus made.

By the first extra Saturday class in November, the Potion Master watched the young witch and wondered if she would be ready to sit for her OWL at the end of her third year. Her weekly preparation allowed him to shorten the lectures only focusing on what she didn't fully understand and important aspects needing to be reinforced. Once he confirmed her understanding, she was allowed to start her practical. Severus wondered if he could increase the speed of the teaching plan. If she continued at this rate and he did slightly increase the speed of instruction, she could potentially have the third year work completed by the end of this calendar year. This would allow him to start the fourth year coursework in January.

If she took to the more difficult concepts in the fourth year work quickly while managing the rest of her second year work load, the fourth year requirements could be finished by the middle of April or early May. At that rate, the fifth year work could be started by the end of this school year, meaning she would sit for her NEWTS at the end of her third year.

After seeing her again pantomime the preparation of ingredients, he broke down and handed her the necessary ingredients. Watching in amazement, she sliced, diced and chopped the items to almost perfection. Shaking his head, he made a few notes and smiled.

If Sophie allowed it and Hermione did indeed continued at this rate, he would suggest the young witch be set in the fifth year potion class the following year. The only question was if it would be the standard or advanced track. If she was already a few months into the lessons at the beginning of the next school year, she could easily handle the advanced class. The boys were in the same situation, given they would continue to learn over the summer, they could easily be placed in the sixth year advanced class. He hoped Sophie would agree and this would be the final year he had night classes.

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It was nearly the middle of November before the quidditch schedule had been released. As with the prior year, each house would have a first year team. The captains, who had been notified of this by their house heads slightly ahead of the official notice, already determined who would be on the house teams and started to include them in the training. This year's offering didn't seem to have quite as many stellar players, but they took quickly to sport. By the time the schedules came out, the first years had found themselves prepared and ready for their games.

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Also, much like the year before, the school's first years had been provided a room where they were allowed to meet. Once Sophie had been informed on the second year room she asked why the other years didn't have the same accommodations. The answer was simply they hadn't requested a room. It was explaining the rivalry between the houses prior to last year and how uncommon cross-house friendships were that Sophie really understood why the 'shared tables' during meals seemed to be a struggle.

"Well, let's work on some inter-house unity. I think we start with assigning rooms to each of the years and see who is willing to use them. I like this idea." It was shortly after the discussion, Hogwarts found many of her old and unused classrooms finding new life. As the years would go on common rooms would be established for all classes offered, extra-circular activities and even outside hobbies.

The professors discussed the rooms with each of their classes and provided a map in the Great Hall identifying the location of each room. It was a slow start, but as the first term continued, with the exception of the second years, the third years seemed to take the most advantage and were making good headway in trying to understand the students from other houses. Unsurprisingly the seventh year room saw the least use. In part, the seventh years were focused on their studies and preparation for their NEWTS but, these were the students who had lived six years in the school where friendships outside of your house color were neither common nor were they accepted.

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Draco found his second year to be a bit more difficult than the prior year, partially it was an increase in the work. He, like Hermione and Harry, had been placed in the advance track for all his classes, but it was trying to juggle the schoolwork, quidditch, extra classes, and what Lucius sent him on the business that had him thankful for his bed each night. By the end of November, Draco knew something would need to change, but he didn't know what and decided to discuss it with Lucius over the holidays.

Draco steeled himself for the last few weeks before the end of their first term and pulled out the timetable Hermione had finished the day before. All their study time had been reduced with the extra schoolwork but luckily they felt their second year Transfiguration and Potion tests should be relatively easy based on their more advanced class. The timetable called for Charms and History of Magic as the study topics this weekend, so Draco grabbed those books and his notes before heading to the second year room.

When he entered the room he found nearly everyone there with notes and books spread over the table. At one end sat Hermione with an open spot on either side. Draco appreciated his unspoken request and slid into his chair. Hermione looked up and smiled before returning her focus to the Charms notes in front of her. While they were in the advanced class, all second years were learning the same charms and would be tested on the same theories. The advanced track would be graded harder and expected to perform the charms flawlessly.

Draco looked at Hermione and noted she was nervous about the tests, she didn't seem any more nervous than everyone else. While their workload sometimes felt overwhelming, they had each other and found they were able to meet their professors expectations.

"I was thinking a session of running stairs might be a good distraction later." The children had tried to keep up their running but found the early snow along with the colder temperatures made running outside difficult. It was while complaining about all the staircases and how sometimes it felt like a muggle gym that Draco had the idea about just running up and down stairs. The castle had numerous staircases and allowed for a good workout.

"That sounds great. Once Harry gets here we can figure it all out." The pair turned back to their notes for a bit. Once Harry arrived and got settled, the actual study session began. Most of the study sessions were asking questions about what they didn't understand but Hermione had thought of an idea a few weeks earlier. "So, I had an idea on how we could do this session for today. It's based on a muggle game show." At the slightly confused expressions on a few of her classmates, Hermione explained. "A game show is primarily a form of entertainment but most are based on having people answer questions to earn money or prizes." Those familiar with the concept, including her best friends, started shooting out questions before the witch just waved her hand. "The prizes are snacks, the elves and I discussed and they said they would surprise us. I think they are waiting to see who wins and the prize will be specific for them." At everyone's excitement, Hermione waved her wand toward the wall.

For those students familiar with the American muggle show called _Jeopardy_, they immediately recognized the wall for what it was. Across the top were five topics related to History of Magic while values were listed along the side. In front of each student was a blank sheet of parchment with the word score written across the top and answer written about half way down. Once she was done with the reveal, Hermione returned to her seat.

"I don't know the questions or the answers. After I had the idea I sent a note to my Dad asking him for ideas. I guess he and Mr. Malfoy went to the professors and got questions and answers. When I got their response they said someone would be here to read the questions and explain the rules." Hermione smirked as she spoke to the closed door. "We're ready." The door opened to find Regulus Black enter the room wearing a muggle suit.

"Welcome students to Jeopardy." With those words Regulus began to play the part of a game show host and prepared the students for what was to come. At the end of the game, the students worked through both topics between the first and second rounds. After the final question, they felt they had identified what areas needed more work and all ended up with a small treat curtesy of the house elves.

Regulus told the group how he would return each Saturday to help review that week's selected courses. The final Saturday before end of term tests began would cover all the courses. Everyone thought it was an excellent plan and packed up their notes and books before thanking Regulus. The majority of the students left the room to return to their respective common rooms. It was almost lunch and the children were getting hungry.

"I have to admit that was more enjoyable than I thought it would be." Regulus hugged Draco, Hermione and Harry before heading out for lunch with Severus. "See you next week." With a jaunty wink, the older wizard left the room missed the sight of an unexpected someone watching the door from the end of the hall.

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Severus sat in his office and reviewed how the first term had thus far gone between the two course tracks and then a specific review of the three children he was tutoring. To truly understand potions one must understand nuances easily missed if one was so focused on following instructions blindly. This was why Severus had finally gotten approval to allow the students who excelled the opportunity to prove themselves. All students in the advance courses would be given the opportunity, at the end of the year, to propose modifications the potions taught over the course of the school year. The proposals were not a requirement but Severus suspected a good portion of the students would at least give it a try. Any proposal that would not cause harm would be brewed and tested against the standard potion.

Severus was interested in seeing what these students could provide to the wizarding world in the future. Glancing at the clock, Severus realized how late it had gotten, Regulus should be finishing with the second years soon. Being already dressed, Severus was just waiting on the other wizard before heading out for an extended lunch at the Three Broomsticks. A few minutes later the knock on the door told Severus Regulus had finally arrived.

The other wizard, who had a look of pure happiness on his face, was beckoning Severus to follow him. "That was quite enjoyable and I'm looking forward to it in the coming weeks. I think the kids really enjoyed it as well. Plus I got out before Hermione suggested I join them on their run. While I was waiting outside I heard Draco suggest doing some exercising after they finished studying. Apparently they run steps when the weather is bad. That sounds horrid and I pray she doesn't mention it to her father. That man cannot be contained, I swear to Merlin."

Severus chuckled at the mention of Rich Granger. While it was true, once the man had a task at hand he was completely invested in it. Much like Hermione. But now with the new company, Rich seems to have settled a bit. "I don't know about Rich not knowing. He may have been the one to suggest it or if not, I'm sure Hermione has mentioned it. It could just be he hasn't found a building with enough stairs to get your heart rate up." At Regulus's shudder Severus directed the wizard toward the steps. "Come on and let's get some practice in." The dark glare from Regulus just made Severus laugh all the harder. They made their way to the front doors and exited the, warmer than outside, castle. Quickly they passed the gates and sent themselves to Hogsmeade.

Finding a table wasn't the easiest as Rosemerta's plan of increasing business on Hogwarts non-Hogsmeade weekend worked better than she had hoped. The first international quidditch matches were being aired that day and the place was packed. Severus mentioned how Lucius told him there was a way to have multiple things showing on different televisions. Seeing how enraptured the crowd was, Severus truly believed Lucius underestimated the popularity. Due to the volume of the fans watching the various matches could be compared to a din, the pair remained vigilant in watching for an open table.

Once one was available, they procured it and settled while waiting on their meals. The duo discussed nothing of importance since the noise level was loud enough to make discussions difficult. Once their meals arrived the discussion shifted to updating Severus on the latest updates from Lucius. After making sure Severus was informed, Regulus redirected the conversation to a topic mentioned the evening before. The question stopped the unflappable professor short. "What do you mean, you've heard I fancy someone?" Regulus while not expecting Severus to immediately admit his crush, the surprised accusation was interesting. In reality, Regulus hadn't said Severus fancied someone.

"Lucius mentioned something over dinner. They were discussing how the relationship between Hermione and Draco appears to be evolving. Lucius then made an off-handed comment about Draco not being the only wizard at Hogwarts with a female admirer. The only other thing he mentioned was the wizard in question wasn't Harry. There aren't many other wizards about whom that group would discuss. I just assumed it was you." Severus gazed at the man before shaking his head.

"I'm not sure who Lucius was discussing, but as far as I know, there aren't any witches who fancy me." Regulus didn't think Severus even realized his first comment wasn't about an admirer, but about him. It told Regulus there was a witch who had finally caught his friend's eye. There weren't many options, but a few of the new professors were witches. Hopefully the witch who had caught Severus's attention was the same one Lucius had mentioned with a potential crush on the grumpy wizard across the table. Severus also never said he didn't fancy anyone. It would be interesting to keep an eye on this as the next few months passed. Maybe playing a game show host would give Regulus some additional insight into the players beyond the second year students.

Severus's love life was placed to the side and pair continued to discuss their plans for the upcoming break. The professors finally received the confirmation everyone hoped to hear. None of the students would remain at the castle which would allow the professors time away from the castle as well. When Severus mentioned taking a few day trips to acquire some intriguing plants, Regulus began to write off the change in plans to his complete love of potions and nothing else. Severus neither mentioned he wouldn't be traveling alone nor how pleased he was when she agreed to the trips. The potion master began to explain the reason for the change and provided Regulus confirmation on his thoughts.

About ten days prior, the DMLE were at Hogwarts to give everyone an update on the current state of the waking potion and the news wasn't good. The individual hired by the DMLE to procure and tend the mandrakes had discovered they were an inferior version, causing a concern the waking potion would do more harm than good to Frank Longbottom. While the healer attendance understood the need to wait, Severus found it difficult to watch Neville after he realized the potion for his father wouldn't be ready until closer to summer. What got the poor boy was when the auror said summer may be overly optimistic as no one else appeared to have grown mandrakes in the past few years.

After escorting Neville back to his friends, Pomona was beside herself. Neville was in her house, and even if she never admitted it, the boy was one of her favorites. After mentioning mandrakes were being grown in other countries, Severus agreed to make a few trips over the holidays to his international contacts. After some inquiries to his distributors, he had a list of individuals to visit specifically for mandrakes. The pair of professors hoped to have the potion brewed by the spring term break. It all rested on just how mature the mandrakes were.

Severus had never been involved in the decision process on what plants were grown, he just would take advantage if the plants would help with his lessons. As far as Severus could remember every few years Pomona's teaching plan included mandrakes and he knew there hadn't been any the last couple of years. The only reason he remembered that minor detail was he had wanted to experiment with them in a few altered potions he had been researching.

When Severus asked why mandrakes weren't being grown this year, Pomona's anger surprised everyone in the meeting when she spat she didn't have room. It was obvious she didn't believe the comment and the decision on what to grow wasn't hers to make. She explained how five years ago, when it was time for the mandrake rotation in her course plans, Dumbledore told her to remove that section as there wouldn't be enough room in the greenhouse with all the other plants. When Pomona provided the layout she had used for the last fifteen years and proved there would be more than enough room for mandrakes and the other required plants, Albus pulled a list from his drawer of plants Pomona would have to include in her greenhouse.

Every year thereafter Albus would provide a similar list, while the quantity of ingredients were never totally used, Albus made sure the plants were growing each and personally prepared them in various ways. Pomona was able to provide a few examples of the preparation methods and how he documented what he did. The preparation only would occur in the greenhouse and required her assistance. Severus found the examples she gave weren't normal preparation methods, but almost seemed to be experiments to find the most potent process.

Until the truth about the headmaster was known, none of the professors would have understood Dumbledore's reasons for not have mandrakes growing. Now they understood, unfortunately they now had to react instead of being prepared. The professors and DMLE believed he did it to ensure a quality and quick source of mandrakes wasn't available.

As with every story Sophie heard about her predecessor, she couldn't believe the man and turned to her Herbology Professor. "Pomona, build more greenhouses and grow as many plants as you want or need. Get with Severus and see if he has thoughts on new plants he'd like to use for brewing and include them in the plans. Also work with the elves and see if there are any vegetables or fruits they'd like to grow for meals. Once you have figured out how many new greenhouses are required let me know and I'll get the Board to sign off on it. The funds set aside for maintenance and updates has hardly been touched in a decade. Lucius already agreed to support any plans we present."

Once the elves were involved everything moved quickly. By the prior Tuesday night Pomona's completed plans were shown to everyone and their approval was a mere formality. Lucius ensured the Board reviewed approved before the end of this past week and once their approval was received, the elves informed the Headmistress they would assist in the construction to ensure the new greenhouses were ready for use in the new year.

Finally, Sophie also returned the decision of what to grow to Pomona, where it should have always resided. It was up to her to determine what would be grown each year. Pomona and Severus worked out what plants could be procured locally and what would require his international contacts. Severus was quite excited as this would be something new for the students to learn. They rarely had the ability to compare fresh and stored ingredients while brewing.

When Severus had finished the story, Regulus was so surprised he was speechless. "You know Severus, I wonder if it would be a good idea to get some of the families to restart growing their own plants. It sort of fell away when our parents were young since quality items were so easy to purchase. I know of at least three other families who have the land but just don't bother anymore."

That was something Severus hadn't thought about since his childhood home didn't have the land for a large garden. The house didn't have a lot of things, but that was long ago and his life was much better now. But to Regulus's thought, it might be a good idea to have some backup gardens if need be. "I think that is an excellent idea and we should get Lucius on board." The two wizard's conversation drifted to other topics as their lunch slowly wound down.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While the two wizards were enjoying their food and time away, back at the castle there was a stifled scream and the sound of a body crashing to the stone floor.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

After an extended lunch, Severus and Regulus were settling their bill when a silvery tabby cat landed on the table and told Severus to immediately return to the castle. After throwing more than enough galleons on the table, the pair rushed out of the building and immediately made their way back to the castle. Neither wizard was quite ready for what they would encountered.

Minerva was standing at the doors beckoning for the pair to hurry. "Severus, you need to contact your sources and get those mandrakes now. Price is no matter and they have to be ready for harvest. We've had an attack." Both of the wizards stopped in their tracks and asked the same question.

"Who."

Minerva looked and calmed their concerns slightly. "It wasn't a student, it was one of the 've called for the DMLE and St. Mungo's." When Minerva mentioned it was a witch, Severus stiffened and prepared to hear the worst. It really seemed be how his life worked. His former professor, coworker, friend and mother of his heart looked to Severus for a long moment before continuing. "It was Aurora, Severus." Even expecting the words, when they were said, the man lost his grip on his stoic continence and his face crumbled. Minerva didn't pause before she held the man in her arms tightly. Severus, for his part, held the witch without whom he might not have the great life he currently had.

While Minerva continued to comfort Severus, her comments continued. "We aren't quite sure how, but she was found in one of the bathrooms on the fourth floor. Even though the original opening hasn't been used, our warning wards are untouched, Amelia Bones agrees with the theory from the Gaunt diary and it's traveling through the sanitary pipes. Neither Gibby nor Harry heard anything recently but we are concerned the beast is still in the castle proper and are in the process of closing off all internal access to the sanitary pipes. The students have been quarantined in the rooms assigned by year."

Severus finally looked up and asked the question he had feared to ask. "Is she alright?" His voice was never like the posed and confident wizard who stood in front of the students talking about potions. He wasn't the friend whose rumbling laugh would roll through the halls. At that moment, he was the young boy who hadn't been loved as a child and found that was all he really wanted.

"She's petrified. Her vitals are nearly exactly the same as Frank. The healers just took her to St. Mungos and said she could have visitors tomorrow. I confirmed she'd be placed in the same ward as Frank Longbottom." Her grip on Severus tightened until she was sure he had regained his strength. When he pulled away the emotions rolling over his face faded and were replaced with determination. It made Minerva smile a bit since she knew a determined Severus Snape would be the different between victory and defeat. And she was pleased he was on their side. "I need to teach all the students and younger professors the old vanishing spell used in the days before indoor plumbing. Not looking forward to that in the least." Severus gave a half hearted chuckle before answering her earlier statement.

"I think it will probably be tomorrow morning before I'm able to find someone. When I spoke to them over the last week none had mandrakes ready for harvest yet. One said his most mature batch was probably a month out but when the mandrakes reach that stage it is hard to pinpoint the exact timing. I'll start making calls now and find as many as I can, will I have authorization to generate portkeys as needed?" Severus had no issues with getting the necessary ingredients now, and he wasn't averse to using whatever means he needed to do it. They all knew there was a risk at the school but everyone had hoped Gibby or Harry would hear something first.

"Professor Snape, you have the authorization of the Ministry to generate and use as many portkeys as you require. Do you need anyone form the Ministry to accompany you?" Amelia had just arrived at the doors after warding all the bathrooms in the castle to fear the potion master's question. While she waited for his response she began to wonder if she should seal the kitchen plumbing as well. Based on the diary it seemed the only pipes the beast could access were sanitary in nature and those were restricted to bathrooms. Hopefully that was correct and its previous use of the sanitary pipes wasn't strictly due to how close they were to the original opening.

"No Madam Bones, I believe it will be better if I go alone. I hope you understand some sources, may not be what you would deem reputable." Severus had no qualms with some of the individuals who produced potion ingredients. While most ingredients were harmless, some were used for more dubious potions and the Ministry would love to know who was raising what. Severus refused to divulge that information. Amelia nodded and watched the potion professor hurry toward the steps to the dungeon.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The second year students had barely returned to their house common rooms after their work out and light lunch when their various House Heads and Deputies appeared in their house common rooms and called for everyone's attentions. The announcement was the same for everyone. "We are requiring all students to head to their assigned rooms by year. You will leave now walking in a quiet and orderly fashion. More details will be provided once they are known." The students were all concerned as nothing like this had happened before.

After being told there was an incident and complete headcount was required, the students tried to settle. The second years sorted themselves into smaller groups and Hermione noticed her friends had migrated to one corner of the room. Since no one knew anything more than anyone else, the group sat on the floor and began to discuss the holidays. It was while the group was in the middle of debating how to exchange gifts, Hermione noticed Harry go still and his eyes widen if in fear. Before she could question anything, he whispered something in Draco's ear and ran out of the room.

Hermione was about to follow when Draco grabbed her arm to stop her. "Don't, Harry heard something. Just stay here. Please." Looking at Draco she saw worry but also fear. Hermione knew something was going on but would wait. At her acceptance, the wizard's hold relaxed and the pair returned part of their focus to the ongoing discussion.

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Severus Snape had just ended his fifth call when he heard a pounding on his door. Not knowing who it was but based on the situation, quickly threw his door open to find Harry Potter standing in the doorway. "I've heard it Professor. It was talking about finding two but failing to fulfill his duty. It sounded like it was heading back to the chamber." Severus had immediately sent a message to Sophie and asked for at least Amelia to come to his rooms.

"Harry, it's attacked a Professor and that's why you've all been sent to the rooms. It's been decided they are probably the safest place at the moment." Harry was already shaking his head.

"No Professor the creature said it had found TWO. That means someone else has yet to be discovered." Harry never asked who was attacked just that there were two people who needed help. "Help them please." The expression on the boy's face was one Severus hadn't seen for years. It was the look when something frightened him completely.

"We will do what we can. I need to make a few more calls. Let me know if you hear anything else. Hopefully the Headmistress will be here soon." Harry simply set himself near the wall and pressed his ear against it. Neither wizard knew exactly how long it was until someone was at the door. "I'll get it Harry, just stay there." Severus wasn't really worried about the creature knocking on the door, but no one really thought the castle could house such danger either.

Luckily the doorway only held Sophie and Amelia Bones. "Madam Bones, Harry heard something after being sent to the second year room." Waving the pair into the room, Severus pointed to Harry and had the boy explain what he'd heard. After relaying the comment, Harry again leaned his head against the wall. "I believe we are looking for another victim. What have the headcounts determined?"

Sophie sighed. "There are a few students missing, Minerva is following up on what the student's thoughts were and checking the library since it was cleared during the DMLE's initial sweep of the school. If they aren't there, we will start a search of the areas cleared and work our way up before searching outside."

Harry had been listening and nodded. "I think the other victim is outside Headmistress. Don't you believe the second entrance is outside?"

Amelia Bones watched the young boy and noticed how upset he was. Her niece had spoken of the Potter boy over the summer and her description of the polite young man was at odds with the memories Amelia had of the boy's father. "Yes, Mr. Potter, I agree and once I knew there were missing students I sent a group of aurors outside to start the search. I would have rather wasted some of their time instead of waiting until we completed the headcount and interior search. Please let any of the professors know if you hear something." The young wizard again settled himself against the wall while the adults continued to discuss the situation.

"Madam Bones, how would you like me to handle this since a student appears to have been involved?" The head of the DMLE stood for a moment and thought through the implications.

"For tonight, let's just find the student and determine the actual situation. We can discuss our next steps tomorrow. Would you like to inform Lucius or would you like me to handle that discussion?" Sophie pointed to herself before Amelia nodded and turned her focus to Severus. "Professor Snape has a distributor been identified?" With a firm nod the witches relaxed. "Good, get as many as you can. If you need the Ministry to assist with the brewing let me know. Otherwise, your reputation is enough for me to have comfort you would not produce something with the potential harm any of the victims." After receiving a second nod, the witches left the room.

"Come on Harry let's get you back upstairs. I'm sure Hermione and Draco are worried." The pair walked slowly to ensure their footsteps were as quiet as possible. Neither wanted to mask anything Harry might hear. The first time the pair encountered anyone was once they were out of the dungeons and making their way toward the next staircase. Minerva was moving as quickly as she could when she saw the pair and relaxed slightly. "Harry, I was told you left the room. Was it for a good reason?" Severus nodded and set his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yes, it was Minerva. We can discuss in a moment, let's get Harry back to his room." As they were already quite close to the room, Minerva fell into step behind the pair and kept her own senses open for anything unusual. "Go on Harry. They are going to ask and just say you've been told to not say anything and more information will be provided in the morning. I assume they will be staying in these rooms tonight." Minerva nodded and told Harry his friends would tell him what he missed and that sleeping bags had been provided. She also mentioned Hermione grabbed one for him.

The boy entered the room to the relief of others. The professors watched as he brushed off the questions and settled himself by his closest friends.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

It was nearly an hour after discovering some students were missing before the specific student was identified. After searching the school all but one had been found and after discussions with his fellow first years, the search was focused on the area around Black Lake. Luckily the afternoon sun had appeared and while it was cold, the sun allowed for the searchers to quickly find the frozen boy. The healers immediately assured everyone the boy was alive but in the same state as the professor and auror.

Once the healers had taken their second patient of the day to St. Mungo's, the aurors began to search the area for any clues. The first was the boy's muggle camera. It hadn't been removed from the boy's grip and the healers would return once if they could somehow relax the grip on it. Sophie mentioned if the camera was just opened any pictures would be ruined but, since the creature was all but confirmed, there was very little the camera could show them. That was one of the reasons the aurors weren't too concerned about obtaining the item.

The aurors turned their focus to ground and anything that indicate the direction the beast traveled. As the wind whipped around the castle the aurors noted, with dismay, how all the snow moved and drifted with the wind. If the creature had left a trail, it had already been obliterated by the time they had initially arrived at the castle. With no indication of how it traveled or even if the beast exited the castle, they aurors were left with noting but more theories and little facts to back those theories.

Later that evening, Amelia received the report from the events at Hogwarts and was distressed at how little it contained. The victims were alive but as Amelia read through the notes from 1943 and compared them to the recent attacks she noted how similar they were. The current attacks were mirroring the ones from over fifty years prior. The beast took its time before finding a victim to kill. What Amelia didn't know was if it was circumstance or if there was something else.

She finally turned back to the books on the basilisk and decided none of the victims had actually looked directly at the beast. Frank had mentioned a puddle of water and how it was reflecting the image. Aurora Messerly had been found in a bathroom and when the aurors reconstructed the event the most probable position was her standing at the mirror. The student, Colin Creevy, had a camera to his face and most likely had viewed it through the lens.

Her concern had changed from what happened to Frank to finding a way to stop a beast that could kill on sight only. She just hoped something in the books would give them a more solid direction to follow.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

_**A/N: This chapter is a touch longer, hope you enjoy it. As I read it today, I found myself adding a bit here and there. I think I added at least an additional page and a half. Mainly it was Severus, he was sorta chatty and wanted some attention on his secondary story line. Let me know what you think.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: This chapter is the first of a few surrounding the end of the year. I have never been able to time these this correctly and I figured some of you would be ticked if I held the following chapters until December. It's getting cold here now and the candles in my house are winter scented and the stores here already have Christmas decorations up. Nothing like rushing another year out the door. That is one of my pet peeves but the world is all about making people want things they don't have.**_

**_If any of the activities around what the family does at the solstice are in the least bit correct, it is a fluke. I did no research on what ancient witches and wizards did during that time of the year and how those traditions were passed down to their _****_children._**

_**Anyway...welcome to December in our little story...**_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Immediately after finding open compartment Hermione sat next to Draco and across from Harry and Blaise as the Hogwarts Express prepared for the trip to London. The relief the trio felt was palpable. Crooks mewed as he exited his carrier and immediately jumped on Hermione's lap in a demand for her to run her fingers through his hair. The weeks since the attack had been stressful from multiple angles. The realization Hogwarts wasn't safe was almost too much for the young students. For Hermione, in the aftermath she realized this was not a fun mystery like a novel but real life with real consequences. She began to compartmentalize and withdraw. Her friends immediately noticed and drew her back to them. Draco started watching Hermione very closely from that point forward.

For everyone's mental and physical state, no other attacks occurred since Professor Messerly and Colin had been found. In the days after the attacks and stories of what happened filtered throughout the student body, the student did what they did best. Gossip. As most of the students were knowledgable about the school's founders, it didn't take long for someone to remember the story about Salazar Slytherin's parting gift and the chamber before realizing the beast was the Slytherin's creature. The professors reaction after the attacks had turned much more serious and students were limited in what they were free to do.

Student activities were limited and it impacted Hermione and her friend's daily activities. The use of the private room in the dungeon and ability to access many areas of the castle, both inside and out, were severely limited if not forbidden all together. The lack of physical activity removed one of Hermione's coping mechanisms and directed her extra energies on classwork. The library hours were limited and students were escorted from their common rooms (either the house rooms or the year ones) to the Great Hall for meals. They were also directed to walk in groups to and from their classes. For a couple of weeks quidditch practice had been cancelled and it was only after determining a way for the teams to arrive and depart together before they had been allowed to restart. It proved to be one of the few topics all students who played agreed on, quidditch must go on.

While Harry and Draco could fly off their frustrations, Hermione's options were limited. She could do her workout in the dorm, but the advantage of the private room was the quiet and comforting environment. In the dorm room, the other girls were there and while they weren't trying to distract Hermione on purpose, she found it impossible to feel relaxed.

Regulus still showed up every Saturday and help the second years study but there was a very noticeable change in their attitudes. He helped to break some of the tensions that had built over each week and provided everyone a chance to speak their minds before starting the week's review. It seemed to help Hermione as much as everyone else. By the time the tests finished, everyone was ready to leave, even if it would only be for a few weeks. The students packed nearly everything they owned, there was a distinct sense of worry about the future of Hogwarts.

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Lucius and Narcissa stood on the platform and watched as the red engine pulled into the station. It seemed every parent released a partial breath at the sight of the train and then again once their child made their way to them. All parents had been notified of what had happened soon after the Creevy family. It allowed the muggle family to see their son and have some answers before the Headmistress was overwhelmed with requests from the other parent. In the end, all patents had been allowed to visit the school to discuss options with their children. Every parent agreed to wait out the rest of the term but wanted the option to evaluate things once they were away from the school.

The Board of Regents, Headmistress and Ministry agreed and promised to work out some way for students who didn't return to complete their studies for the current year. Next year would be addressed over the summer. The majority of those thinking about leaving the school hoped to return the following year. But if the creature was still around they would likely explore other options.

When the four students who fell under the Malfoy's care stepped onto the platform, Narcissa let out a sob. She had visited just a week earlier, but to see them safe and whole was more than she could contain. "Come Cissy, let's get them home." All the parents surged toward their children and before long the station's platform was empty.

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Draco was immediately relaxed when he landed in the entryway of his home. He hadn't realized how anxious he was until that moment. His worry immediately turned to Hermione, as he knew she hadn't been handling the stresses well. He was looking at the witch closely when she sighed and turned toward her friend. She reached for Draco before opening her mouth. "Really Draco, I'm fine. Like you, I think I just need a few moments. I'm going to for a run."

Draco knew better than to try and ask her not to do anything. But it was Lucius who calmed his son. "That's fine Hermione, we strengthened the wards and Severus added the same ward and warning that has been placed at the school. If anything tries to cross the wards we will know. Just please stick to the circuit your dad set up. If we need to find you, it won't do any of us any good if you've gone off track." Seeing how reasonable the request had been, the young witch agreed and went to her room to change.

Draco let out a sigh and released Crooks. "You heard Dad, don't go too far afield. Hermione would be sick if you were injured. I'm sure the elves would appreciate your help with those gnomes. They burrow down in the winter and have children. The young ones are worse than the older ones." The cat looked to the light haired wizard and nodded. It had been about a month since he finished the snacks the elves had sent with his witch. A good de-gnoming would do a lot for his nerves and empty stomach. Crooks turned and made his way toward the backyard with a definite strut in his step. Chuckling Draco turned to his father. "Are we are ok to fly or are there new restrictions?" Lucius shook his head as the three boys took their bags to their rooms and changed into something that would keep them warm while in the air.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

When the young witch made her way back into the house she heard a scream of frustration and something hitting a wall. She pulled her wand and slowly made her way toward the source of the sounds. She ended up outside of the library and quietly pushed one of the doors open. What she found shocked her, everyone with the exception of the three boys, were in the room and pouring over books. Hermione sheathed her wand and picked up the book that had been apparently thrown against the door. She carefully looked over it to make sure there was no damage to the binding before placing it on the table.

It was only then that everyone realized she was even in the library. Jean jumped up and hugged her daughter tightly. Rich pulled both of them into his arms and held them close. It was the sound of sniffles that weren't coming from her parents that pulled Hermione from their hold. Seated just across the table was Narcissa who looked to be on the verge of a complete breakdown. Slowly the younger witch walked and was quickly enveloped by a second set of motherly arms. "If anything had happened to you." Narcissa couldn't continue as she rocked the girl.

Hermione realized the stress from everything at Hogwarts wasn't just at Hogwarts; every single parent had the same concerns. "I'm fine, I promise. With all of us here, we will figure something out. Let me get my notes and then I just need to know what books haven't been read yet." The apparent complete acceptance that something was wrong but it could be fixed broke some of the tension after breaking the hearts of the adults. The children should not have to deal with this.

Lucius pulled the girl into a hug and shook his head. "No, not today, let's just put this all behind us and enjoy the afternoon. I'll have Kitmu get the boys. We can have an early dinner and discuss your classes and tests. Tomorrow we will approach just what we could do." It seemed a break was what the emotionally distraught adults needed as well, so Hermione went to her room. After a nice hot shower and changing into some warm clothes, including a new pair of wool socks, Hermione made her way into the sitting room to find almost everyone present. The rest of their first day home was everything Hermione had hoped when she learned she'd be living in the Manor.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The rest of the first week, Hermione's days were split between spending her mornings reading anything she could find about Hogwarts and magical creatures. Her afternoons were with Narcissa and Jean as they put the final plans into place for the annual New Year's Eve ball. With everything going on, Hermione had totally forgotten about the ball until Narcissa had her try on a few different dresses. All were beautiful but just one made her feel like a princess. The best part was when both her mother and Narcissa agreed without any arguments and the dress was sent for final adjustments. The seamstress promised to returned the gown in time for the ball. Not that Hermione realized it, but it was one less thing on her list of worries. She really did have enough other things on her plate.

During her mornings, she made copious notes on what little she could find about the beast and its preferred habitat. But nothing she found seemed to help give them any direction. Hermione picked up a book from the table and realized it wasn't a book, as much as it was a journal. The first pages of the journal were missing but it did't take long for her to figure out what the aged tome was. "Is this a journal from Salazar Slytherin?" The heads of all the adults whipped and Lucius saw what Hermione was holding.

"Yes, I hadn't wanted you to read that. It's disgusting." Lucius moved to take it from her hands but Hermione was much quicker and moved out of his grasp.

"No, I get that. I just ignore the blatant ignorant comments about how he valued people. They are just words that no one really believes anymore. But when you get past that vitriol and look at what he is saying; he is describing how he constructed the lair for his beast. We know the one opening, but the DMLE still haven't figured out the location for second, correct?" Lucius was more than a little impressed and surprisingly stunned with the witch's question. Hermione noticed his reaction, and smirked in a way that reminded the frozen blond of his son. "So, couldn't we take the descriptions and a map of Hogwarts showing the one entrance and at least figure out a general idea of where the end of his described chamber could be?"

Severus arrived at that moment and watched in amusement as the others saw how the young girl really could think of alternatives that were, as the muggles said, outside of the box. "Yes, Hermione, that is an excellent idea. I would prefer to not have to deal with those distributors much more than I already have. I think after Lucius regains his sense he will get with Amelia and they will start to work out possibilities. However, right now I would like you and the boys to come with me. We are meeting Professor Sprout and Mr. Longbottom at the greenhouses in the back. I have mandrakes that need to be repotted." With that pronouncement Severus swept Hermione out of the room. She was sent to change into something more appropriate for gardening and Kitmu was off to find the three boys.

After rounding up his charges, Severus herded them out the back door and down the path toward the Malfoy greenhouses. Draco noticed a new building and Severus nodded his head once. The professor and four children made their way to the newest and nicest greenhouse any of them had ever seen. Once in the building, they were met by Professor Sprout and Neville who were both dressed in older clothes that already had mud and dirt on them. Severus removed his robes and Draco let a little gasp fall from his lips. For the first time, in his entire life, Draco witnessed Severus in something other than robes, waistcoat, button down and trousers. It was only the chuckles from Professor Sprout that brought all the children from their shocked state.

"Yes, he does own something other than his all black outfits. But, now is not the time. We have quite a bit to do today and it starts with repotting these mandrakes." Professor Sprout pointed to a table where there were twelve smallish pots with plants growing tall in them. Looking around Hermione noticed another five benches with at least a dozen plant on each one. The plants on each bench varied by size and seemed to be sorted by age. Hermione tuned back to Professor Sprout as the woman began to lecture in earnest.

"Before we start, I will walk you through the process since we will all be wearing ear protections. These plants are loud when you pull them from the dirt and will knock you out for a good while since these are still rather immature plants. Mature plants are deadly if heard." The witch spent about twenty minutes discussing the process and pointed to the other tables that had varying stages of plant growth on them. Everyone placed their ear protection on and began the task of replanting.

A few hours later saw all the plants in their new pots. The younger plants would remain until the end of the holidays when the children would help in repotting them again before the plants would be brought to Hogwarts for the final maturation of the older plants. Professor Sprout would continue to propagate the plants as they matured. Once repotted the children were to themselves for a bit while Severus and Pomona looked at the oldest specimens. Neville, while standing with his friends, was more focused on his professors. He only relaxed when he saw both smile at a couple of the pots. These were moved to the best location in the greenhouse and marked. Without a doubt Neville knew those would be the plants used for his father's waking potion.

After seeing his professors, he looked at what they had done that day, while it wasn't much in some small way he was making sure his dad came home as soon as possible. After securing the greenhouse, Professor Sprout escorted the young wizard home. That evening, as Neville sat next to his comatose father, the boy explained how he helped with the mandrakes and it made him feel better. He spoke of how jealous Aggie was and how she wanted to start growing plants to help daddy as well. No one knew if the victims could hear those around them or not, but Neville would not take a chance. He spent every opportunity he had with his father and updating him on everything since his last visit.

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After Severus had taken the children to the greenhouse for an extended herbology lesson, the rest of the house began to look through every book in order to find any map of the old school. After two hours they were empty handed, more concerning was when they discovered the DMLE was also coming up short. It seemed any blueprints or drawings of the building had been destroyed at some point in the last twenty years. Amelia found only one reference to Hogwarts documents and that was the last time they were checked out. It seemed Albus Dumbledore had requested the items and they were never returned.

While everyone else was looking for a map, Jean began to read the descriptions in an effort to get some sort of dimension on the thing. It took her the rest of the day to come up with the basics. Once the children had been sent upstairs to get cleaned, the adults retired to the sitting room before dinner. Hermione's idea was a good one, but it seemed it would be more difficult to implement than expected. Severus had returned for dinner and the group discussed the procured mandrakes and how long the oldest specimens would take to fully mature.

After getting a good look at the plants that morning, Severus was relatively confident they would be ready by the middle of January. He noted the plants were having a bit of a celebration when he obtained them from the dealer. Once they were fully mature, Pomona would determine their strength and also take cuttings for future growth. The potion would take about two weeks to reach full effectiveness. There was a collective sigh of relief knowing those afflicted would be fine in a couple of months.

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As the winter solstice approached those in the home began to prepare for the time after, when the days would begin to grow longer and longer. The house was covered in greenery and the scent of pine, laurel and juniper filled all the rooms of the large home. Lucius took special care to ensure the incense burned fully before placing next portion. Draco followed and learned there were responsibilities for the head of the house during this time. The young wizard watched, learned and recanted the information to the other children in the house. They would eventually need to understand the responsibilities as they would be heads of their respective houses in the coming years.

But for the solstice itself, a traditional yule log would be burned to remind all of the return of the sun along with the light and warmth it provides. The family would gather at the hearth and watch as the light and heat was returned to their world. The next day the cooled ashes would be spread over the garden as the final act of sacrifice. The log's ashes provide nutrients to the garden and will promote the health and vitality for the coming year. In the olden days, the ashes were split between the fields and the family. Each would drink from a mixture of the ashes and oils to promote health and fertility. Lucius chuckled at the expressions and let the children know he had never had to drink the mixture. It seemed to have fallen out of style hundreds of years earlier, but the communal memory reminded all of their shared history.

Hermione noted the solemness of the event, even in the face of the larger celebration that would occur a few days later but said nothing. This was something she had never fully experienced and it was enthralling. She was also pleased no one was expecting her to drink ashes. That sounded horrible.

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By the time Christmas rolled around, the feeling at the Manor shifted from the stillness of the longest night of the year to happiness and joy. Christmas morning itself was just as great as the year before and for the first time since August the family seemed to be truly relaxed.

Narcissa had told the children they were not allowed downstairs until at least seven and then the day would be begin. Draco explained as children, he and Harry would burst into his parents room and drag them to the tree when it was still night. And by night, Lucius clarified it was typically no later than two in the morning. After the third year the seven am rule was instituted as were wards to ensure the boys weren't able to head down the steps themselves. As the family laughed Draco shrugged and admitted to liking presents. It didn't surprise anyone in the family.

On Christmas morning, Hermione found herself waking well before seven. She didn't want to upset Narcissa, so she spent over an hour getting ready for the day. By the time six rolled around, she was fully dressed and finished reading the book she brought from the library the day before. She also finished reviewing all her notes on the beast. She may have also looked forward in what she assumed they would be covering in their classes for the upcoming term and finished any work the professors had given them.

Even after all that, the clock was not her friend as it said it was only a quarter past six. Hermione sighed and lamented how long the next forty-five minutes would be. It was then she heard a timid knock on her door. Opening it she found the three boys fully dressed and wide awake. Apparently the only day of the year where they weren't groggy until after they ate was Christmas.

Draco smiled and reached his hand toward Hermione. "Come on, it's tradition for us to meet mum and dad at the steps. I'm not sure if they actually put the wards up this year but I know where the line used to be if they aren't." As quietly as they were able, the four made their way to the steps and settled themselves to wait for the rest of the house. They spoke quietly what the day would hold and the plans for Boxing Day. Hermione was quite excited to discover the Malfoys spent the day with Narcissa's sister and her family in France. She had never thought to spend just a day in a foreign country, but with magic it seemed almost anything was possible.

The boys were began discussing the latest news in the quidditch world, apparently the Bulgarians introduced their newest seeker and he was only a few years older than they were. Hermione reminded the boys they had to finish school and she wouldn't allow them to drop out just to play some sport. Harry was the only one to respond. "We know, it's just sorta a cool to know someone who isn't that much older has that level of skill. It's something I don't think any of us has really thought about."

Hermione nodded and commented how Draco would be running a multi-billion galleon company, Harry and Blaise both had multiple options based on things their houses owned. The boys acknowledged Hermione was right but they still thought it was cool someone so young could be a professional quidditch player. Their debate was halted when the sound of laughter floated down the hall. "I told you they'd be waiting even though you forgot the wards." Narcissa's expression was of pure happiness to see the group sitting on the floor. Rich and Jean approached from the other hall and also got a laugh out of the sight before them. "Come on then, the day is just beginning."

The first activity was eating a huge breakfast. The elves took great pride in everything they do, but this meal was always something just a bit more than the normal breakfast. Hermione truly believed it was better than anything she'd had at Hogwarts. Kitmu smiled behind her chair and figured he could let that comment drop next time he was in the kitchen. The elves would be beyond happy the young miss was so complimentary. After breakfast, the family arrived in the main room where the large tree was glowed brightly. While the magicals didn't celebrate Christmas for the religious connotations, as a group witches and wizards loved any reason to celebrate with presents. The winter solstice was a solemn affair, but this was just pure happiness and love. Hermione saw more presents under the tree than she thought she and her family had opened in their entire lives.

Hours later all the presents were unwrapped the family was going through their stacks again and again. All had been given something that showed just how loved they were. The gifts had been meaningful even in abundance. Everyone was spread out around the room and spent time pointing out new and interesting things they discovered to each other. It was into this scene Regulus emerged from the floo. "Happy Christmas!" The room burst into laughter.

Regulus was wearing what appeared to be a Santa costume but without the wig and included more green than just the traditional red. Over his shoulder was a large bag. "I've bought presents for everyone so let's get these out." Regulus took the next thirty minutes to hand out his gifts. When there was only one present left, Regulus turned to Harry. With a solemnity no one knew he possessed, Regulus settled himself next to young wizard. "Kreacher and I were cleaning up some of the rooms in the house and we finally got to Sirius's old room. He hasn't been in it since returning from his last year at Hogwarts. I know you don't have good memories of him or have really anything that speaks of your father in a positive light. I found these in his trunk. I'm not totally sure what they are." The box was handed over and Harry looked at it for a moment before tearing into it.

The first thing Harry saw was another wrapped present. With a questioning look, the older wizard just responded he liked to open gifts and it seemed like a good idea. There were a total of seven wrapped boxes that when opened held another wrapped box. By the time the final box was opened everyone was laughing. "That's the last one, I swear." Harry rolled his eyes and slowly opened the last gift. It contained two things, one was what Harry first thought was a blanket. It was the silkiest material the boy had ever seen. "There was a note from James on that telling Sirius to keep it safe and use it as he saw fit until he and your mum returned. I guess Sirius didn't realize it was in the trunk or I can't imagine him not using it." Regulus lifted the blanket from the box and threw it over Harry who immediately disappeared. Harry's head popped out the top and the room went silent. "It seems James Potter had an invisibility cloak and Sirius at least knew what it was. I've been looking at it and it hasn't seemed to deteriorate."

Hermione didn't understand the significance of the comment until she noticed the expressions on Lucius and Narcissa's faces. "Why is that important? And is an invisibility cloak just what the name sounds like?" Lucius stood and asked if he could see the item. As the material moved through his fingers he felt no hair or saw any damage.

"Invisibility cloaks are just what they sound like, they allow anything under the cloak to be effectively invisible. On a whole, these are quite rare but even more intriguing is the fact this cloak is at least twenty years old and shows no sign of failure. These are notoriously difficult to maintain in good condition since they tear easily or be damaged when hit with a spell. The charms used to make the cloak invisible fail. But that isn't the case with this one." Lucius continued to look at the cloak in awe.

"Well, while Lucius is focused on that one. Here open the second one." The second item was in an unwrapped box that was long and narrow but was probably a good four inches high. After removing the top of the box, Harry found a piece of parchment. He removed the parchment to find a welcome of sorts. _Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP_. When the parchment was opened it turned out to be a rather large piece of blank parchment.

Regulus got a good laugh off Harry's expression before continuing. "This was in the bottom of the truck and it took Kreacher a bit to determine what it was. At first we just thought it was some parchment but we happened to have it open when Lucius tried to step through the floo which I still had locked. He started to yell to open up and the parchment began to respond with some unsavory language." The family was again focused on Regulus as he took the parchment and muttered something to it. Suddenly the blank parchment lit up to reveal Hogwarts. "I would assume this was what they used to get around the school unhindered."

Narcissa who had moved behind Lucius to examine the cloak, had her attention taken by the map. "I had always wondered how they did that. I mean Minerva would have docked them a few points and Slughorn was useless, but the other professors weren't totally incompetent." The map only showed a few dots moving through the building and those were identified as aurors. The entire castle had emptied for the end of term holidays.

Draco and Harry looked to each other with something that could be called mischievousness; however, Hermione would come to know that look would mean the plans could only be deemed unholy. Hermione wasn't totally sure, but highly suspected the rest of her Hogwarts career would include the two presents Regulus should have kept at Grimmauld for a couple more years.

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After Regulus had finished handing out his gifts and opened his own, the elves had finished the feast they would eat for dinner. Again Hermione was amazed at just how good the food was. She asked Narcissa if there was a special spell or charm or something to make the roast beef melt in her mouth. "The elves spend weeks planning the meals for today and each year they outdo the prior year. I suspect with so many more people attending they took a bit of liberty and made more than is normally needed. But since the boys are growing, I would bet there won't be many leftovers." In stage whisper Narcissa continued. "Plus Regulus is always known to eat a lot since Kreacher isn't here telling him to not eat so much."

The family broke into laughter as Regulus popped other bit of food in his mouth and shrugged. After finishing the second amazing meal of the day, everyone reconvened in the large room with the tree and spent the entire night going through their presents trying to finding something new. When it was bed time the children were sagging and the adults were quite merry. The nog was a bit strong but after the first glass you didn't notice it anymore. As Regulus was trying to maneuver to the floo, Narcissa recommended her cousin spend the night. It was probably for the best, the wizard had just decided a lay down was a brilliant idea and was currently snoring on the rug.

With the help of the elves the adults made their way to their respective rooms while the children followed sleepily behind. Before going to sleep, Kitmu introduced the hangover potion to the Grangers. Both happily swallowed the bitter potion and were tucked into their bed. After ensuring everyone but Regulus was in their beds, the elves returned to the front and took a few photos before letting Kreacher know Regulus would be spending the night. When Kreacher arrived a little while later he sighed at the sight before him. With a snap the wizard was floated to the room the elves prepared for him. In order to teach the wizard, Kreacher decided he should not have a hangover potion. You only learn by experiencing consequences.

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Boxing Day came with a bright sun. The family rolled out of their beds a little more slowly than the day before. Hermione was the first to the table and found the food was laid out. A small elf Hermione recognized from the kitchen popped in. "Good Mornings Miss, pleases eat." The elf motioned to the table and nodded happily. "The familys be here eventually. This the one day theys sleep in. Master Regulus will be mad, Kreacher say no hangover potion." There was a litany of elfin giggles around the room.

Hermione stopped herself from reaching for one of the amazing looking waffles. "Are you sure Narcissa or Lucius won't mind? Aren't I supposed to wait for them?" Her questions were answered by the gruff voice of Lucius.

"No it's fine Hermione. Like Dilly said, Boxing Day is quite lax and we eat when we roll out of bed. Speaking of rolling out of bed, who made the nog last night. It was considerably stronger than last year." Dilly's eyes went wide and slowly raised her hand. Lucius cocked his head to the side and nodded. "Very well done Dilly. You get to make it next year, yes?" The little elf clapped happily and agreed. "What happened to Reg? I expected to find him still sleeping and probably drooling on my antique rug."

A louder pop was heard and Lucius winced at the sound as he turned toward it. Kreacher, in all his upset glory, stood in the doorway. "The elves set up a room for hims and I put him in the bed. No hangover potion for him. He need to learns." The ever irate elf left the room and Lucius slowly shook his head.

"Speaking of hangover potions, I took one last night but Dilly makes a mean nog. Would one of you get me another one and provide a second one for Narcissa, Rich and Jean? I suspect they will all need it as well. Hermione would you pass me the waffles and the powdered sugar, please." The man was handed a small vial and downed it one go. That was quickly followed by a sip of strong tea. "Much better. Thank you everyone."

Lucius and Hermione had a pleasant breakfast and were laughing over the previous night when the other adults finally made their appearance. Jean and Narcissa looked perfectly fine while Rich looked similar to Lucius. Not completely hung over but still struggling a bit. "Morning Dad, Mom, Narcissa, do you want some food?" Their eyes gazed across the table and all shook their heads before settling their chairs and sipping tea with some dry toast. Eventually Dilly couldn't handle those at the table not eating. She tapped Rich on the shoulder and asked him what he would eat. After the initial look of green left his face, he talked about how in college when the nights were a bit crazy a mother of one of his friend's would bring over a full English breakfast and it would instantly cure the ill feelings.

The little elf sighed and snapped her fingers. Hermione swore she heard Dilly mumbling about people just not asking for what they want. Dilly looked to Jean who said she would something in a little bit. Narcissa reached for the fruit and yogurt. The elf narrowed her eyes and Narcissa shook her head. Once the bacon and sausage had reached the table, Narcissa seemed a bit more like herself and promptly picked a couple rashers of bacon and a sausage link with another piece of toast. Jean took the same and the women began to discuss the day ahead. Rich filled his plate and happily dove in. The boys entered the room saying they smelled bacon. All three jumped to their chairs and filled their plates with a bit of everything except the yogurt and fruit.

The room went silent as everyone dug into their meals with vigor. Hermione even grabbed a second waffle and some bacon before the yelling began. "What do you mean you won't let me have the potion?" That was promptly followed by "DEAR MERLIN MAKE THE PAIN STOP." That outburst was followed by a thumping on the wall.

Harry looked up from his plate and with the most innocent look he could muster he asked if they thought Regulus was ok. The entire table started laughing knowing Regulus was far from ok. After wiping tears from his eyes, Lucius requested Usher invite Regulus to the dining room. If it was done in front of Kreacher everyone knew the elf would force the man into making an appearance.

"You have to be kidding me. Breakfast? Without a potion? Nope, not happening Krecher, try something else." There was a quiet mumble before Regulus let out a cry of frustration and the stomping of a very stroppy wizard was heard coming down the steps. "No Kreacher I don't want to hear it. I can act as petulant as I want. You are just being unfair." Hermione's giggles couldn't be contained and as soon as she started the entire table again burst into laughter. "If your elves were withholding the hangover potion from you, you wouldn't be laughing." The table laughed even more; however, once Regulus saw what was on the table he gingerly made his way to the open seat and began to fill his plate. While completely ignoring the elf who had changed from irate to ready to explode, Regulus asked one of the Malfoy elves for tea with ginger.

Even with the standoff between the two, the rest of the family didn't feel any stress or animosity between the pair. This was normal for them. Narcissa was the first to be able to speak without laughing. "Ok everyone finish up and let's get ready. The portkey is scheduled for eleven. Regulus, we are going to Andi and Ted's for the day, would you like to come? There is always enough room and food." The wizard thought about it before agreeing.

"Thanks Cissy, I'll just finish up and head home to change. I'm leaving Kreacher today. He just gets into fights with Andi's elves." The elf just continued to glare and if looks could kill, Hermione would already be the Head of the Ancient and Noble House of Black.

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_**A/N 2: Any ideas on how, who and when Harry figures out what Regulus's presents really are?**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Hi everyone, here is the rest of the Yule holiday and the annual Malfoy Ball. Enjoy and happy November everyone.**_

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At quarter to eleven everyone was in the sitting room around a large vase, Lucius checked the clock before indicating everyone to grab a hold. At eleven on the dot, the vase began to glow and then they were in France. Not just France but a beautifully decorated home in the French countryside. Hermione looked around and saw a familiar looking witch but she couldn't place the her in the slightest. It was understandable really, the witch had a huge nose, spiky burgundy hair and pointy ears. After laughing, Draco began call out different animals while the witch's face changed and contorted into the requested animals. "Dora." The call came from the doorway and Hermione turned to see a man with light brown hair leaning into the frame. He appeared to be older than the witch but looked at the witch with an expression Hermione couldn't place either, but he seemed really happy.

"Fine Remus." The witch's face and hair returned to what Hermione assumed was normal, although she wasn't sure bubblegum pink was natural for anyone. Again the younger witch thought she had met the other witch before but she didn't know where or when. It wasn't like she knew a lot of witches really. Just those in the room and school. "Hi Aunt Cissy, Uncle Lucius and Draco, I hope the trip went well." When Lucius nodded, the witch turned to Harry. "Good to see you again Harry. Hope school is good." Harry nodded eagerly and whispered '_pig_'. The witch looked over her shoulder and changed her nose into a snout and snorted a little. The kids broke into peels laughter and the man in the doorway just shook his head.

"Dora, how are you dear? It's been a bit since we've seen you. I think last spring you had mentioned the potential of getting another promotion." Narcissa was quick change the topic or the boys would spend the entire day thinking of different animals.

"It's going really well Aunt Cissy. I'm quite pleased and Luc, you remember my partner, has been promoted as well. He will be taking over the corps soon and there are rumors that in a few years he could maybe be minister. It's quite a thing to say I was his partner." There was a subtle throat clearing and Dora's face changed to an even lovelier expression, one Narcissa had never seen on her niece's face before. "Aunt Cissy, this is the man I was telling you about then, he's now my boyfriend. This is Remus." She turned to the man and waved him forward. "Remus this is mum's sister Narcissa and her husband, Lucius Malfoy."

Remus walked into the room and nodded to Lucius and Narcissa, before reaching to shake Lucius's hand. Regulus, who had been turned away from the rest still trying to come to terms with his hangover and arrival from the portkey, finally looked up and gasped.

"Lupin is that you?"

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After a bit of explanations and apologies, Remus Lupin detailed how he came to France after everything that had happened at Hogwarts. While the adults were fully aware of wizard's affiliation, the children were being entertained by Dora. She knew Remus needed to put his side of the story out, since it had never been heard and having four children watching would make it more difficult than it needed to be. After a bit of time, everyone come to some consensus and put it behind them, at least for the time being.

Andi and Ted had been waiting in the front room and as the group settled for a time they talked about the prior day. Regulus was watching Lupin and wondered which of the names on the scroll he was. There were four names on that mysterious map and at Hogwarts there were four friends. It wasn't a long stretch to assume Lupin would be ignorant of what had been placed in Sirius's trunk. He hadn't been seen in the short period between the end of term and when everything happened.

It took a bit of time before Regulus had an opportunity to discuss with the recently re-appeared marauder. A lull in the conversations had Remus offering to get drinks for everyone and Regulus jumped at the chance. Offering to help Remus carry everything back, Regulus followed the other wizard toward the bar set up in the next room. There was a bit of awkwardness initially but as the pair worked together, the air seemed to clear a touch.

"Remus, over the last few months I've been trying to get Grimmauld cleaned. Lots of old junk no one would really want. I figured I owed it to Hermione to have the place free of the old ghosts when she takes over. I don't know if she will live there, but it's her legacy now." Lupin cocked an eyebrow and was quickly filled in on Regulus offering the House of Black to the young witch sitting through the doorway. It seemed Remus had truly left his old life and country behind. Regulus understood and remembered the look of absolute horror on the then young wizard's face when he heard just what his friends had planned. Not wanting to dwell, Regulus continued on about what he was doing at Grimmauld. Confused on why Regulus was so insistent on explaining, Remus continued to listen in silence, but when Regulus appeared to get uncomfortable Remus realized the actual point of the conversation would seen be revealed.

"You see, I had been dreading it, but I finally got into Sirius's old room and found his Hogwarts trunk." Remus went still and watched the other wizard who was fidgeting. "There were two things in the trunk that apparently James Potter had added before they left Hogwarts that last time. One was a map and the other was cloak. Do you know anything about them?"

"Do you still have them?" The other wizard shook his head and looked into the room where Harry was completely visible. "You gave them to a twelve year old?" Regulus gave a little shrug. Sighing much like Narcissa did when the boys did something incredibly stupid, Remus picked up the tray and nodded toward the other one. "Come on, I have to explain to Harry what sort of mischief you've actually given him. Narcissa may avada you once she has a chance to really think about what I've told you all." Remus let out another weary sigh and began to hand out the drinks.

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Harry was more than a bit shocked, he had no idea the older wizard was a former friend of his father. When Draco asked the question about the attack on Severus, Remus paled. The older wizard was pleased his secret was still that but at the same time, he wanted to tell these children the whole truth. He looked around the room and found Narcissa resigned but nodding to him. Suddenly Dora was at his side holding his hand. "Come on let's sit down, I think this is going to take a bit." As everyone settled with their fresh drinks, Remus went into his history and just what role he had in that particular event.

Hermione was the first to find her voice after Remus finished his story. "You're a werewolf?" The man nodded and slumped into his chair. "How does that work?" The man looked to the girl who would soon lead one of the oldest families in Britain, what he saw wasn't a girl who was repulsed in the slightest but looked more intrigued. "I'm a muggleborn, I was raised to think magic and vampires and werewolves and fairies and name a hundred other things I've learned about in the last year were stories, not real. As I'm finding these things are real, I want to understand." Hermione looked a bit embarrassed but continued to watch the man to see if he was going to answer.

"Most of what you have heard from muggles is generally accurate. I say mostly since there are ways for those like me to not be an animal. There is a potion Dora brews for me. It's easier here in France as the regulations surrounding it are more relaxed than in Britain. It's a pity British werewolves are not provided the same opportunities as we have here."

Hermione found the comment interesting and made a note to look into how magical creatures and beings were treated at home. While Hermione was pondering the state of life for others, Remus continued his answer. "I take the potion the day of the full moon and it helps me to retain my human side. France has established a sanctuary for werewolves. We are given free rein over a large stretch of land and allowed to run for the night. I still turn into a wolf, but with the potion I know who I am and what I don't want to do. It's difficult for people to believe, so obviously it's something I don't publicize." The children understood and silently agreed to keep the secret.

The rest of the day was interesting, every so often one of the children would return their focus to Remus and ask questions about Harry's father or the things Regulus had found. In the end, they all knew the saying to open and close the map. Once Narcissa understood what information it could provide, she sent many dark glares at her cousin.

The story about the cloak was a bit more intriguing. When James had shown up with it at Hogwarts, he had explained it was something his father had given him but that it had been handed down for at least the two generations prior. James wasn't sure who the original owner was, but it was a legacy item for the Potter family. The magical adults in the room all had a speculative look in their eye. It was only an offhanded remark by Remus that brought the family up short. "I had assumed both of them had been lost. Dumbledore found out about the cloak near the end of seventh year and kept making comments about wanting to see it. James was very hesitant to use it after that. It's how those two lost the map. Filch caught them one night and took it. Supposedly they had gotten closed just in time. I can't explain how James got it back. Maybe he used the cloak one final time without Dumbledore knowing."

The question running through the minds of the adults was just why Dumbledore was so curious about the cloak and what hadn't James Potter told the old man.

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It took Hermione until after dinner before she knew why she recognized Dora. It was only when the other witch began speaking about her job it clicked. She sucked in a gasp of air looked at the witch with entirely new eyes. She and Draco were next to each other as he started to question her on what was wrong. That got the attention of everyone.

"It's nothing really, I just realized how I knew Dora. That's all." Hermione was embarrassed when she realized how she had become the center of attention. When her gaze landed on Dora, the older witch shrugged.

"I wondered if you knew. I saw it at first, the recognition but then nothing, so I let it drop. I figured with everything else that was going on today, it wasn't really important." Dora smiled brightly at the younger witch.

Hermione walked over to Dora and held out her hand. "Hi Dora, I'm Hermione. Thank you for all you did not only for me but also Ronald." The young witch stood there for a moment before Dora stood as well and pulled her into a hug.

Dora whispered into Hermione's ear. "You're very welcome, but you don't have to thank me, it's what all aurors should do. We take a vow to help others and children need the most protection. If you ever need me, I'll be there in an instant. Yes?" Hermione smiled in agreement and hugged the other witch. She didn't realize how she still carried a bit of guilt over what had happened during the first bit of her life as a witch.

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A few days after returning from their trip to France and the holiday festivities, everyone was stationed in the library. The boys were not the most excited but since a major snowstorm was blowing in, Narcissa nixed any flying until the skies were clear. So the boys reluctantly agreed to spend some time in the library. Hermione had continued her mother's drawing based on the journal and the discussions that had surrounded the chamber. It was an incredibly large area; she couldn't imagine where it could be and how the other founders hadn't noticed its creation. The amount of dirt removed was too much for her to calculate.

"Harry, the map Regulus gave you, do you have it on you?" No one had thought to use the map to try and locate the chamber. Hermione thought maybe it could tell them where the chamber was without having to plot anything. Or at least it gave them a basic outline of the school, which had been extremely difficult to find.

"No, it's upstairs, do you want it?" With an absent-minded nod from Hermione, Harry left for his room where he'd hidden the map and cloak in his trunk. He still wasn't sure what to do with the map but thought he would keep it with him, just in case. While Severus hadn't been with the family over the holidays, he was told of what Regulus had found before informing the professor the items were now in the possession of the children. The Potion Master agreed between the map and cloak, Sirius and James would have the ability move almost unseen at the school. It also explained how they were able to find him whenever they wanted. When Harry returned the map was handed to Hermione who opened it and began to look through the levels but found nothing lower than the dungeon.

Severus, knowing there were also a few hidden rooms in the school, stood next to Hermione and began to search for them with no results. It appeared the map only was able to show the rooms and tunnels the creators found. So it stood to reason they had never found the Chamber or any of the other rooms the founders had hidden. The wizard set the map down and walked toward the window. Wondering what would happen if the map knew of those locations. Would the rooms remain hidden on the map or would they appear?

Hermione gazed at the map and an idea struck. "Narcissa, is there any tissue paper or something that is really thin in the house? Something I can write on but is see through?" Thinking, Narcissa summoned a bit of paper and younger witch happily began to draw the lair design before placing it over the map. "Hm, Severus would you help me?" The man turned and saw the young witch twisting a sheet of paper in every which direction.

"Tell me what you are trying to do."

Hermione was quick began to explain. "I traced the most likely design of the chamber onto this piece of paper and shrunk it to match the scale of the map and am trying to figure out were it could be. We know the original entrance is in the bathroom, so it makes sense the chamber would have to go out from there in some direction."

"Very astute, let's see what you have here." Severus settled next to Hermione as they rotated the drawing and began to mark off areas. Once they had worked through the entire 360 degree circle there were only three places that looked even slightly viable. Two of them were more likely as they were hidden in the forest surrounding the school. The third location was under the dungeons and it appeared to stop at Black Lake. "I would like to say the forest is the most likely but Slytherin loved his dungeon and the thought of the beast _protecting_ his students would appeal to him. I just don't know how easy or quick it would have been." Hermione looked back to the other two land locations.

"Sir, why would it have had to be quick? No one really knows how long Slytherin was working on the chamber to begin with and as for Dumbledore, he was at the school for a long time even before he became head master. I don't think either of their plans would have had any real time constraints. They could have spent years, if not decades working on it." Blaise was a quiet boy but as he became more comfortable in the Manor, he began to find his voice.

"No Blaise, you're correct with regard to both of them. Since so little is known about the founders, the actual construction of the school and the founder's hidden rooms will likely always be a mystery. On the other hand, if Albus was only focused on the chamber and had the information from the ministry at his disposal, I don't believe it wouldn't have taken him long to identify the probable locations. Speaking of that…"

Severus rotated the chamber drawing to the position under the dungeons and the ending in Black Lake. "Albus once told me he had agreements with the merpeople. I wonder if they helped or allowed him to make the opening." Lucius stood and pulled an old piece of parchment from one of the desks and transferred the map onto it. He was careful to not transfer any of the tunnels or passageways.

"We are going to have to give the Ministry something to evidence why we think what we do. I'm not handing that map over. Even if Harry doesn't take it, it could be very helpful in the future." After finishing up his copy and making sure nothing untoward showed, he tucked it into an old book and set the scene. "That was made by my father while he was at school. It was found in one of his old school books by chance and we just found it today. The descriptions for the chamber we found in one of the books provided by Sophie. And yes those dimensions were in it, I just wanted to find something to confirm what that book said since it was written many centuries later. Again, we don't mention Slytherin's journal. Agreed?"

After gaining everyone's agreement, Harry stored his map and the ancient journal was returned to its spot in the back corner of the library. Only after all was done did Lucius call the DMLE and make a request for Amelia Bones to visit.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Amelia was less than pleased to discover Lucius Malfoy and his group had identified three potential locations for the much sought after second opening. But, she wasn't surprised. Albus Dumbledore had a lot of pull in the magical world but the Malfoy family had never fallen at his feet so it wasn't a shock the family library had documents Dumbledore couldn't access. It was a good thing since it appeared Dumbledore had systematically destroyed centuries of documents related to the school and Merlin knew what else.

After reviewing the proposed dimensions, she confirmed the drawing matched the what the book from Ilvermorny stated and would be a good representation of the actual chamber. The map of Hogwarts was very well done and she found it interesting Abraxas Malfoy had drawn it while at the school. Abraxas, who still loved to get involved with things when he could, quietly stepped into the large frame and listened to the small woman wax on about how interesting it was that he was interested in art. "May I ask Madam Bones, why you are questioning my son on my past times? I am a wizard of many interests and talents. I may be more remembered for my business acumen but my wife found my paintings to be calm and soothing and I do take exception to your insinuations." The gruff man stood and watched the witch as she actually backed up from the portrait that seemingly couldn't do anything more than speak.

"I do apologize Mr. Malfoy, it was just not something I had thought a wizard of your stature would pursue. I understand I was mistaken, and again, I apologize." The man in the painting just waved his hand and sat in a rather large chair. He was keen to keep watch on how the rest of the meeting proceeded. While Lucius didn't react to his father's entrance, he had noticed the man slipping into the frame through the mirror. It did; however, take quite a bit of control to not react when Abraxas made the claims about his paintings. Lucius was sure he heard his mother's tinkling laugh from the solarium.

Amelia made a copy of the map and Lucius was pleased she didn't attempt to take his original. The DMLE copy appeared to be a perfect copy of the purposefully imperfect copy Lucius had just created. But at the end of the day, the witch agreed with the three likely spots and would get the aurors to investigate as the holiday season was quickly winding down. She departed thereafter. Lucius locked the floo behind her and the room erupted in laughter.

"Grandfather, just because you are a wizard of many talents and interests, did you really paint for Grandmother?" The expression of the man in the painting changed from the stern look focused on the witch that questioned his son to a wide smile. He shrugged a bit before a dainty hand pushed him toward the side of the painting. Marguerite Malfoy stepped into the frame and wrapped her arm around her husband.

"Why Draco, are you accusing your grandfather of lying to the Head of the DMLE? Is that something the Malfoy family has ever done?" The family again started to laugh, as it was well known in previous generations the Malfoys had a fair bit of swing with the Ministry and the DMLE took any statement as the truth. "But to answer your question, your grandfather did dabble a bit with the arts. More with photography but those weren't pictures that had any calming effect on me."

Lucius groaned a bit. "Really Mother? Even after all these years, you still bring that up?" As Lucius's cheeks continued to redden the adults began to catch on to what was happening. Rich gave the portrait a thumbs up and winked. The painting returned the thumbs up movement with a quizzical look. "It's a muggle thing Father. It means good job or something like that. Rich you aren't helping. My parents are paintings and they are still as randy as when I was a child!" This the kids understood and their eyes went wide.

Narcissa shook her head and stood. "Ok Lucius that is enough. Children I think it's time for bed. We have the ball tomorrow and I don't want any of you to look haggard. Off off." As Narcissa motioned for the children to head toward their rooms, the rest of the adults also began pack up their books and notes for the night.

Once Lucius was the only living wizard in the room, he turned to his parents who were still wrapped around each other speaking quietly in the large gilded frame. "Do you want the lights on or off?" After a few unintelligible whispers and one too many giggles, the man shook his head. "Nox and you can deal with." As he closed the door he whispered "Good night you both, stay warm and I'll see you in the morning."

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

New Year's Eve snuck up on Hermione, last year she was a ball of nerves over everything but this year she had too many other thoughts to have built herself up to the same level of anxiety. Narcissa noticed immediately while doing Hermione's hair. "I think I just haven't had the time to worry about it. Between my actual schoolwork, everything else going on at school and what we've been doing here, I haven't thought about it much. But I'll probably start to get worried soon." Narcissa gave the girl a quick kiss on the crown of her head before continuing the arduous task of taming the locks.

After a good hour, a bottle of hair tonic and a few well placed charms, Hermione's hair was perfect. The same jeweled hair pins were strategically placed in her hair and she was shuttled off to the chaise while Narcissa worked her literal magic on Jean's hair.

Hermione was a bit surprised but pleased to find their day was almost identical to the year prior. The young witch wondered about her dress and gazed to the wall where the dress bags hung. Hers was a little longer this year and probably reflected the fact that she had grown over the last year. Draco had been lamenting the fact he was now a shorter than Hermione. Lucius had quietly comforted his son, before informing him the Malfoy family had a tradition of suddenly going from one of the shortest to the tallest boy in the class seemingly overnight. The next morning Draco immediately checked his height against Hermione only to find she had put another eighth of an inch between them. He grumbled the entire morning. Luckily the slight difference in their heights didn't impact how well they danced.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While Hermione was gazing at the dress bag; Kitmu had finally dragged the boys from their games and got them started on getting ready. Again, there were four boys getting ready at the Manor as Theo Nott had talked his parents into allowing him to arrive at the Manor early for the second year in a row.

Blaise found himself looking at the set of dress robes Narcissa had gotten for him. They were more refined and elegant than any robe he had ever worn. His eyes looked around the room, landing on the suit Amico had prepared for the evening and finally on a few items he hadn't seen in years.

When the children returned to Hogwarts at the beginning of the school year, Lucius worked to ensure the Zabini estate was secure and well managed. It was to his great relief to discover the estate was managed by a well known firm and men who happened to have been very close friends with Blaise's father. Lucius had found the individual in charge, Luca Rossi, to be quite easy to speak with and loved to tell stories about the Zabini family. After discussing family traditions, Lucius was surprised to find a few personal effects were set on the desk. It seemed the Zabini family had a tradition of presenting the eldest son a set of cuff links, tie tack and family crest when the boy reached school age. The tradition hadn't occurred for Blaise and Lucius found that to be a shame.

Luca explained how he would remain in charge of the estate until Blaise reached his age of majority. When Luca heard how well Blaise was adjusting to living with the Malfoy family, he sadly addressed the blond wizard seated across the desk. "As you know, I was childhood friends with Marco. Our families had been friends for generations so I witnessed these traditions as they happened with Marco. We would discuss how we would handle them with our sons. I know just how important this was to Marco and have been trying to find a way to ensure Blaise would understand the significance of the items he would have been presented with when he turned eleven."

Lucius looked to the man and understood more than he cared to admit. Luca continued now focused on the items instead of his memories. "The cufflinks and tie tack would only have been worn for important events but the crest would have been sown into this robes. For formal events, the crest would be on easily seen. Some of the family would have a large version embroidered on the back of the robe while others had a smaller version on the lapel or along the hem. For informal robes it would always be on the inside of the robe and over the heart to remind that family love comes first. I know this tradition is not valued in the same way but it has always been how the Zabini family identified themselves." Lucius, having found his own traditions weren't as important to other magical cultures, decided Blaise would not lose this part of his heritage.

"Would it be improper for me to provide these items in lieu of his father. I do not want him missing out on anything more than he already has." The lawyer smiled widely and began to explain what would have happened. When Lucius returned home and informed Narcissa on what he learned, she immediately requested two things. The first was the Zabini crest and the second was a copy of the dress robes Blaise's father wore. The witch knowing how important heritage was, agreed providing Blaise with simple things would mean more than the newest broom or any other item he could receive.

Once Kitmu had wrangled the boys in to get ready, Lucius met with Blaise and explained what had been found. Lucius set the cufflinks and tie tack on the table and explained what Luca had told him about the Zabini traditions. The cufflinks and tie tack would have been enough, they were his father's and looking at the small pieces a number of memories poured through Blaise's mind. The new robes with the Zabini crest brought the boy to tears. Lucius held the boy while reminding him he had a family and they were all there for him.

With new resolve, Blaise looked at the items again and instead of being sad he was now focused. He began to carefully dress knowing this would be the first time the Zabini heir would be taking the reins of his house. He would not let his father's memory down.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

After leaving Harry and Theo to their chess game, Draco started to get ready himself. This year he didn't have an option of muggle or traditional wizarding robes. Apparently Narcissa had asked Hermione if she had a preference and to his, and his mother's, shock, Hermione said she would quite like to see Draco in formal robes. It said something about her acclamation into their world. He was still a bit more comfortable in robes but had begun to find some enjoyment in his muggle clothes.

Draco took his time to ensure all the layers were laying perfectly and wouldn't wrinkle before pulling on his robe. It seemed Narcissa had a bit of fun with the robe, his lining was a beautiful emerald color. As he flipped the item around his shoulders, the lining fluttered into and out of his view. Pleased with his appearance, he gave his hair once final touch up before he went to meet his father and Rich.

Like Hermione, Draco was much more relaxed this year and met the older men with a calm nod. "How long do have to wait before Aster will be ready for us?" Lucius checked his watch and waved toward the end of the hall.

"Now will be fine, I sent the rest of the boys downstairs already. We should probably join them before they do something which your mother will find issue." The three laughed as they walked through the silent halls. Aster was waiting and looked to the three with a pleased expression. Draco wondered if Aster had ever found issue with something his father wore. Maybe he'd remember to ask later.

When Aster popped into the room, Draco found himself looking around the hallway. Last year he had been a bit too nervous to look too closely at his mother's domain. But this year was totally different. At least he thought it was until Hermione walked out. She was out first and Draco was taken by surprise; however, a slight throat clear from his father got him back on his game. Draco stepped forward and lifted Hermione's hand to his lips. "You look beautiful Hermione." Draco cleared his voice and dropped the rest to a whisper. "The dress is stunning and may just be my favorite color on you." The young witch blushed but was smiling widely.

"Thank you Draco, you look very handsome. I can't decide which suits you more now. I had thought what you wore last year couldn't be topped, but I'm thinking this look suits you just as well." While the children were quietly complimenting each other, Narcissa and Jean had each come out of the room. After stepping to their spouses for a quiet word, they turned to their children and were surprised to see them still in conversation.

Narcissa smiled happily at the pair before getting their attention. "Your father said the rest of the boys are already downstairs and I'm sure they are up to no good. Let's head down now to try and stop whatever plots they have formed." Laughing at how accurate the statement could be, the group made their way down the grand staircase and split apart. Lucius and Narcissa took their position at the doors and began to greet the guests while Rich and Jean moved off to wait for some of the others they knew to arrive. Hermione and Draco went directly into the ballroom and found their three friends settled at their assigned table.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The time before dinner was dedicated to speaking with friends, acquaintances and those who wouldn't be put in either category but you could neither fail to invite nor kick out. Luckily until a child graduated they were not expected to participate in the dull conversations, and as such the group remained in their corner quietly laughing about everything. It was into this happy setting Fred and George Weasley made their entrance. The pair spoke, as only they could, to those assembled at the corner table.

"Good evening heirs and heiress to the most influential families, we, your humble former classmates, wish you the happiest of holidays and a pleasant new year." This year the pair had to decided to alternate each word instead of finishing the other's sentences.

Draco was somewhat surprised to see the pair accepted the invitation as they had been rumored to have been holed up in their shop in Diagon Alley. He stepped forward and shook both of their hands. "I'm pleased you were able to attend. I did confirm with mother your names were on the guest list." The red headed twins nodded to the blond boy and bowed to the brunette witch.

"It seems this Gryffindor acknowledges the color green and is extending the proverbial olive branch between our houses. Would you agree Mr. Malfoy?" Draco, for the first time, realized the color matched the lining of his robe perfectly. When they danced the colors would blend.

"I believe Hermione has already established her affinity for the color green and those associated with it." Before Hermione could respond the bell announcing dinner chimed and everyone moved toward their assigned tables.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

After a meal fit for a king, which if the magical world had royalty all those with a claim to the throne were present, the tables were cleared and the dance floor took center stage. Lucius and Narcissa started off the ball with the traditional wizard waltz. The pair looked effortless as they performed the intricate steps of the dance. Draco noticed Hermione's attention and how her feet were moving with his mother's own diamond encrusted heels. "We can practice over the summer, I've yet to master this one." Hermione nodded as she continued to watch the steps and lifts and spins.

"Yes please." The pair remained on the sidelines for two more songs until they were welcomed onto the floor by the elder Malfoys. "Here we go. Hope you are ready." Draco smiled with a bit of mischievousness before he pulled Hermione into his arms and the immediately they fell into step with the music.

The rest of the guests watched as the two couples spun around the floor in almost total sync. It didn't take long before others noticed the way Draco's robe matched Hermione's dress. It was a somewhat subtle act on Narcissa's part. The majority of those in attendance had been there the year before and noted the way the pair danced then. This year the dance was more complex and the pair were holding themselves a touch closer. It seemed the Malfoy family were making their claim on the young witch. There were very few who would even think about trying to get between the pair.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

As with the prior year, Hermione lost track of time as she danced. Most of her dances were with Draco but she and her father had a fair few dances throughout the evening. Hermione laughed when Harry ran over at the end of one dance with her father. He asked for the next dance and sent a wide smile to Hermione while she laughed at him.

"I thought you'd like a chance to dance with someone other than your dad and Draco. I'm not as smooth as them, but it's good to have options." The pair chuckled and joked for the entire dance before the song ended and Hermione found herself back in Draco's arms. Finding she was more comfortable dancing with Draco made her curious why, but she figured it had to be due to their practicing. Harry, Blaise and Theo each had a couple of dances but at the end of the night, Hermione and Draco finished the last dance together.

The witch smiled when Lucius announced the fireworks would be starting shortly. Everyone in the ballroom made their way to doors that lined the far wall and exited down a set of wide steps and onto the heated patio in order to get the best positions to view.

Draco led Hermione and their friends to a closed door and exited to a terrace that was only accessible through the door and was higher than the patio. Hermione noticed the Malfoys, Regulus and her parents were on a similar terrace on the other side of the patio. When the first firework lit the sky, Hermione moved a bit closer to Draco and set her head on his shoulder. Each remembered the year prior and as the adults began to countdown, Hermione made a decision.

As everyone began to cheer the new year, Hermione turned to Draco and gently pressed her lips to his. This year she grasped his robes slightly and pulled at him for a moment. Draco's arm wrapped gently around her waist and held her close. The pair again remained like that for a few seconds before they pulled apart. Hermione blushed at her bravery and turned to wish Daphne a happy new year and pulled gently away from Draco's arms.

The wizard had noticed Hermione's blush and wasn't going to push her. As he compared his two kisses, he found he enjoyed the second one a bit more since he knew what to expect and how their relationship wouldn't change. The memory of her lips on his from the prior year was pretty high on the list of his happiest memories and this one knocked it down a step. When Hermione stepped back after wishing everyone a happy new year, Draco slid her hand into his and squeezed gently. The witch was refusing to look at him but kept staring at their entwined fingers. "It's fine, we are good. I'm pleased you did it. I was trying to figure out how to get the prettiest witch in place to give me a new year's kiss."

"Thank you Draco." Hermione blushed again as the pair re-entered the ballroom and began their goodbyes to all their friends. The pair fell asleep replaying the kiss and both had pleasant dreams.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

**AN 2 - so I've been working on the last chapter or so and I'm pretty sure we it won't get any longer but I am not done with it. Silly muse keeps changing what to add now or save until a future year. _Anyway, this is the halfway point and the total story should be finished by the end of the year. _**


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: To those reading while I'm posting, I apologize for missing last weekend. It didn't even dawn on me until yesterday. So you have my humblest apologies. And it honestly I don't have some great excuse, it was just busy last weekend and I was distracted. So to make it up to all of you, I am posting two chapters today. Chapter 10 (which should have been posted last week) and Chapter 11 (this weeks chapter). I'll have a note on Chapter 11 too so hopefully no one misses chapter 10.**_

_**So onto this (last) week's offering. **__**Welcome to chapter 10 and where we take a pretty big detour from canon. **_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Hermione woke on January the first to the sound of tapping on her window. With a bit of confusion she opened the door to find Artemis flying into her room with a small package and note. "What do you have there Artemis?" The owl shook her head and lifted her leg. "I hope Draco gave you a good treat to go out in this weather." The witch looked to the window and saw the snowstorm that started just as everyone had gone to bed the night before hadn't let up yet and the grounds were now covered with a few more inches of snow. The owl hooted indignantly and shook her head. "That just won't do. Stay here while I dress and we can grab some snacks for you before I take to back to your perch. No reason for you to fly in such nasty weather." The owl's opinion of the young witch grew before she hooted in agreement.

Hermione sat on her bed and set both the note and small box gift box on the bed. Before opening the small gift, she read the note from Draco.

_Hermione,_

_Thank you for last night, I enjoyed our time together. Please accept this as a small token of my feelings and a reminder of the start of another year in each other's lives. Since you came into my life, each January has been brighter than the one before. You are the reason._

_Your Best Friend,_

_Draco_

The box held a lovely silver bracelet with four charms securely attached. The first was a small blue bauble that she believed represented her birthstone. The second charm was of a cat and it had yellow eyes. Hermione turned to Crooks, who was still curled up on the bed, and showed the cat the charm. He batted once with his paw before closing his eyes again. The third was another bauble, this one was canary yellow and shown bright like the sun. Smiling, Hermione's eyes drifted back to the note. This beautiful stone represented the sun. The final charm was of a couple dancing. The woman's dress alternated from a lavender to emerald coloring. It didn't taken her long to realize it represented the two balls she had attended. Blinking back a few tears, the witch set the gift on her dresser and pulled an old book from the shelf. She flipped carefully through the pages of her favorite book until she found the first note Draco had given her almost eleven months prior.

_Hermione,_

_I hope your first Valentine's Day in our world meets your expectations. As the years go on, I promise to learn more and give you the best of both worlds. Happy to spend my first with you._

_Your Friend,_

_Draco_

Hermione smiled and carefully placed the new note between the next set of pages and closed the book with a sigh. It seemed her friend was able to surprise her when she least expected it. After giving Artemis and Crooks each a scratch, she went to get ready for the day. Dressing wasn't difficult as this day the family would settle in one of the larger rooms and relax. Hermione slipped the bracelet on and smiled when it resized itself to fit her wrist perfectly.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While Hermione was dressing, Draco was pacing his room. The bracelet was supposed to be one of her Christmas gifts but at the last minute he had chickened out and had Kitmu remove it from under the tree. Lucius had given his son an odd look when the bracelet wasn't opened. With a subtle shake of his head, Draco's eyes held a plea to his father to not say anything. The older wizard agreed when he saw the nervousness on his son's face. He would discuss with Draco in private what had happened. The witch was settled next to Draco and there was no sign of issue with the pair. A few hours later Lucius found a few moments with his son to discover the reason was down to merely nerves.

"Draco, I truly believe she will love the bracelet, but if you are not quite ready to give her a piece of jewelry I understand and will not pressure you. Just when you feel right about it, don't second guess yourself." With that bit of sage advice, Lucius returned to the family and retook his place next to Narcissa.

Draco stood in his room on the first day of the new year second guessing himself. He was fine when he made his way to the owlery in the early morning hours and it wasn't until he returned to his room that that the nerves kicked in. Those nerves remained active until he was halfway to the dining room and had Hermione literally run into him. "Draco Malfoy." Draco looked a bit stunned the witch seemed mad at him. It made him wonder if he did something, unintentionally, and the bracelet was seen as an insult. Before he could ask or react, the witch grabbed him in tight hug. "It really is beautiful and will remind me of both balls each time I look at it." As her lips grazed his cheek, he stood a bit taller.

"I'm glad you liked it. But why did you yell at me?" Draco didn't want her to get embarrassed about kissing him again and run off. He had found the best way to distract was to ask questions.

"Oh, it's poor Artemis. The weather is horrid and you sent her to fly. You could have just handed to me at breakfast, or come to my room if you didn't want the others to know." The thought of him not wanting people to know about the gift had just popped into her head and suddenly she was self conscious about the fact she was wearing it. "I have it on but if you don't want me to say anything, I won't. I mean I'll take if off and put in with my other jewelry. If you'd like."

"No Hermione. Please don't remove it. It's for you to wear and I'd be honored if you let everyone know I gave it to you. But, um, you should probably talk to mum. Ah, getting jewelry from a boy is…what I mean to say is, the fact I gave you a piece of jewelry could be construed as being a precursor to … . Hermione, I have no idea how to explain it. Just maybe talk to mum. And Jean, I would be pretty confident this would be in the old muggle world as well."

Hermione looked at her friend with a questioning look on her face. "Ok Draco, I'll speak with Cissy and mum before I say anything. But thank you again. And next time, just give it to me yourself. Artemis didn't seemed pleased you had failed to give her a treat when you sent her out." Hermione lifted an eyebrow in an eerily similar way to Narcissa and reflected why Hermione had yelled at him earlier.

"If I had done that, I would of course apologize to the both of you. However, my owl lied to you. She always gets a treat when I send her to delivery something and because of the weather she got an extra one before she left. As always, I asked Kitmu to make sure she gets something nutritious when she returned. I guess being a Malfoy owl, our tendencies rubbed off on her."

Hermione was a bit upset she had been fooled by an owl but still laughed at the story. She could totally see Draco doing something like that if he were an owl. Or just a boy being told to do something he didn't want to do. Bribery was a powerful tool.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

When the pair entered the dinning room, they noticed the only others present were their respective mothers. Draco released Hermione's arm as he greeted the women and left Hermione while he went to sit down. Hermione took the chance and showed the mothers her new accessory and quickly explained Draco had tried to explain something about jewelry from a boy and a precursor to something but she didn't understand what he was saying and how wholly uncomfortable he seemed.

Narcissa's laugh was light and happy while Jean turned her focus to the boy who seemed completely focused on the plate of food in front of him. It was after a few moments Jean noticed Draco stealing glances at the three of them. Maybe she was seeing what she wanted, but she thought Draco would be good for Hermione, once they were older.

Narcissa looked to Jean who gave a slight nod to allow Narcissa to explain. Jean would add any needed comments from the muggle perspective later. In a quiet voice, in order to not embarrass her son any more, Narcissa began to explain what she thought her son was trying to tell Hermione. "Draco is correct in what he was trying to say. When a witch receives jewelry from a wizard it is typically intended to be a way to acknowledge the wizard's desire to begin courting the witch. The tradition has fallen a bit to the side in recent generations. It really is only meaningful for some of the more traditional families, or wizards with a flair for romance. Your decision to wear the gift is your permission for the wizard to approach your father and ask permission."

Hermione's eyes grew wide with a bit of fear. She knew Draco was cute, it was a fact she admitted to herself the first day they had met, but he was her best friend. And they were so young. As Hermione was grappling with the thoughts shooting through her head, her mother gently tapped Hermione until the young witch was looking her mother. "It's very similar to the stories set in the Victorian era. But, you and Draco are still quite young and while back then the age when people married wasn't much older than you are now, I still think you both have a few years before courting becomes anything you have to worry about. But, if someone other than Draco offers you jewelry I would be leery for you to accept it."

"Of course mum, who else but Draco would give me a piece of jewelry. It's not like the boys at school notice me like that, or that I notice them. I still struggle with making sure I don't ignore Draco and Harry for my studies. And any extra time I have after them is spent with Daphne." Hermione didn't want to mention how plain she found herself when standing next to her stunning blonde friend.

"Be that as it may Hermione, your mum is correct. If another wizard offers you a piece of jewelry, formally or otherwise, do not wear it. I will request you immediately contact us and we will discuss. Understand?" Hermione, while confused on the whole thing, nodded to their mums before heading toward Draco.

"Draco, you could have explained that. I didn't for one second think you'd court me. I'm your best friend." The wizard had been deflating slowly as their mothers spoke of their young age and Hermione saying she doesn't see any wizard '_like that_'. He didn't know why he was upset about being firmly in the friend zone but he was. With a stealth that didn't surprise their wives, Lucius and Rich made their presence known.

"Hermione, while you may not think of the other boys in school like _that_ there will be those who will try to take advantage of the fact you were raised outside of this world. They will believe you to be unaware of the meaning of the gift and claim some advantage to you. We all know Draco only has your best intentions in mind. The gift gives him and you an out, if it is needed." Lucius knew his son's feelings were shifting and he also believed Hermione was feeling the same but not ready to admit it. Plus it would be at least another year, if not two, before the pair would be expected to start looking for prospects.

Grateful for his father's words, Draco nodded and leaned toward his friend. "Like Dad said, I really want you safe." Smiling, Hermione began to dig into the plate of food Draco had prepared for her. The topic made her start to think about what sort of wizard she would want. Shaking the silly thought from her mind, she turned to Draco and saw the shy smile that always made her insides melt a little. Whoever he was, he would have to make her feel like Draco did.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The Yule holiday was quickly coming to an end and Lucius had become more and more anxious over what the aurors had found at the school. Or what they hadn't found. He had expected to be informed of something as either the head of the regents or as the man who provided the map of the school. Either way, two weeks without anything was his breaking point. Telling Narcissa he was going to head to the Ministry to find some answer, Lucius stalked out of the sitting room and toward their bedroom. He needed to dress with the thought of who he was going to meet, who he had the potential to meet, and others who may just notice the wizard as he walked through the Ministry. Meaning his outfit needed to reflect the power of the Malfoy family.

While Lucius was fussing over which robe was more powerful, Narcissa continued planning the her next charity function. She always started planning her next soiree the day after her latest success. This way should could remember, in detail, what went well and what hadn't been up to her expectations. While the evening was very successful overall, but she had noticed just how segregated everyone was. Lucius and Narcissa's generation mingled with everyone in attendance but tended remain longer with those who were more similar to them. The children remained group together the entire night, but there were only so many of them and it made sense for them to flock. It was something she'd noticed a little before, but with the addition of Rich and Jean, the separation seemed more obvious now.

While the elder Malfoys were focused on their issues, Draco was sitting stunned in his room. It was a few minutes before the blond boy could form words. "What do you mean Harry?" Harry had made his way into his best friend's room to broach a topic that neither were really ready to discuss.

"I was wondering if you and Hermione were courting. She is wearing your bracelet, the pair of you are inseparable and you kissed at the end of the ball. I wanted to know what to tell people when they ask me. People saw the two of you and I know there will be questions when we get back to school in a few days. So what's the answer?" Draco hadn't realized their second kiss was witnessed, but it seemed no one was aware of the kiss at the prior year's ball.

"I didn't realize you had noticed, it was just a quick peck Harry. She understands about the bracelet and considers us friends. There isn't anything more than that. I wouldn't pressure her into anything until she is ready. And even then, it's up to her and if nothing happens she will be my best girl friend until forever." Harry was a bit surprised and sat down at his friend's explanation, he had expected to be brushed off not given a speech.

"Um, it wasn't a quick peck Draco. It was maybe a good half minute before the kiss broke. Daphne had turned to Hermione almost immediately after the countdown and saw the whole thing. She was so surprised, pleased but surprised, she couldn't say anything. We were all surprised, you were the first one of us to get a kiss from a pretty witch." Harry was trying to lighten up the discussion because it had gone rather deep rather fast.

"Prettiest witch Harry, I got my first kiss from the prettiest witch. I'll need to speak with father. I hadn't realized it was that long." Draco stood and left Harry in his room before exiting his wing and calling for Usher. Normally Draco would just wander the house a bit, but this was too important to waste time. "Usher if father isn't involved in anything I shouldn't see, would you bring me to him?" The elf bobbed his head once and the pair blinked out of the hallway. When the appeared they were standing outside of his parents bedroom.

Usher left the young wizard who stood outside the door for a moment before knocking sharply twice. "Enter." Draco pushed the door open to see his father dressed to go out, looking over two robes and his hair still twisted up in a towel.

"The dark blue father, it's a bit more regal and matches the waistcoat a bit better. Do you have an appointment or do you have time to discuss something of importance with me?" Lucius turned to greet his son as he send black robe back to the closet.

"I always have time for you Draco. And thank you for your thoughts on the robe. I had been stressing. What has you in knots?" Draco, in a slightly detached and succinct manner, relayed the conversation with Harry including the kiss witnessed by all their friends and most importantly, how that kiss hadn't been the pair's first. Finally, he admitted to feeling something more for Hermione and how he felt when the other boys had danced with her. He was jealous. Lucius smiled. "I hadn't expected this so quickly, but I am not surprised. We've all noticed how the pair of you seem to be drawn to the other from the beginning. Almost like you can't help it. And it is normal, probably a little scary for you right now, but perfectly normal for a wizard to feel this way."

As Draco relaxed, Lucius removed the towel on his head and shook his hair until the knots disappeared. He led Draco to the private study attached to the bedroom before the father continued to advise his son. "That's why you wanted to get her the bracelet. You knew she would like it, but it would also be a subtle claim. Not that we will tell Hermione about that point. I don't suspect she'd appreciate that term. The reasons you selected those charms were from your head, heart and magic. I believe I need to show you something, maybe I should have earlier, but it's now the time. Usher."

The elf was sent to ask Narcissa to join them if she was available. It was only a few minutes later when Narcissa entered the room and saw the two most important men in her life. Draco seemed worried while Lucius almost looked proud. "What is going on?" Standing Lucius gently kissed his wife and led her to the small loveseat where he had been sitting.

"It appears Draco and Hermione have shared a kiss or two and the others saw them on new years. Draco is concerned for her since she is wearing his bracelet. I thought he could see the first item I gave you and for you to explain it's significance." Lucius would have happily told the story but he knew what Draco needed was to see how important the item was to his mother. How important Draco's bracelet will be to Hermione.

Narcissa sniffed a little before standing to hug Draco. "Of course Lucius, accio". Draco watched as a carved box gently flew into the room and settled on his mother's lap. "As you know Draco, your father is a few years older than I am so when I started Hogwarts I was just the kid sister of Andromeda and Bellatrix. I was pretty, for an eleven year old, but I wouldn't consider myself anything special." Before Narcissa could continue Lucius interrupted her.

"Draco you have to understand it took me years to get your mother to understand how beautiful she is. It's that inner beauty and love that hooked me. She just didn't see it herself." Narcissa leaned and kissed her husband before continuing.

"Your father had dated a witch or two before me. During my second year, your father's fifth, he stopped the casual dating and started to spend time with me. Now I see it for what it was, but then, I just thought he was my friend and wouldn't or couldn't see me as anything else. By the time I was a third year, your father had turned sixteen and everyone knew he would start looking for a wife. All the witches in Slytherin, and a fair share from the other houses, tried to lay claim to him before we returned to Hogwarts. I watched feeling something I couldn't quite explain, but I was uneasy about how all the girls were talking about the things they would do to my friend. Do to _my_ Lucius."

Lucius Malfoy had heard this story before and every time she called him her Lucius, he sat a bit taller, while the jewelry was a claim of a witch, the witch wearing the jewelry was claiming the wizard just as much. It's why both he and Narcissa were pleased when Hermione accepted the bracelet without question after hearing the traditional purpose.

"I was in the library one Saturday afternoon, it was a Hogsmeade day so I didn't expect to see Lucius until dinner. So imagine my surprise when he strolled into the library and settled at the table we shared near the back of the Charms section. He was nervous and I worried he was going to tell me he'd made his choice and that we couldn't be seen together anymore."  
Lucius saw the confusion on Draco's face. "The jealousy you told me about, it's probably from the Black side of the family. I knew I had nothing to be jealous about. Narcissa would be mine." The witch raised her eyebrow in challenge.

"Really, maybe later I'll tell Draco about what you did to Connor McLaggen my sixth year." Lucius shook his head and gripped Narcissa a bit tighter. "Draco, darling we will all suffer jealousy at some point. But yes I was jealous of whatever witch Lucius had deemed to be his. He started to tell me about his day in Hogsmeade and how he ran into Andi. My world stopped dead, I immediately thought he would marry my sister. I didn't know how I would handle it. And Lucius seemed to understand the expression on my face and quickly told me how he'd asked her about me. He told her his thoughts on things I might like and in a matter of a few minutes, Andi had blessed his idea." Narcissa slowly opened the carved box, set it on the table before turning it toward Draco. Lucius smiled at Narcissa's gentle manner when extracting the item.

"You see Draco, you aren't the first, nor will you be the last Malfoy to give a charm bracelet. As with the one you gave Hermione, your father selected four charms to start our relationship." She fingered four charms on the overly full bracelet. "These images represent your father's feelings toward me. The book is for the library, that was where we first spent time getting to know each other. The willow tree is the one on the edge of the grounds by Black Lake. It's where I first hugged him and after he helped me with a difficult transfiguration assignment. It was the first time we were in each other's arms. I had thought the emerald was for being in Slytherin, what I didn't know was your father had remembered when Andi and Bella would wish me a Happy Birthday. The emerald represents my birth and how May was now his favorite month."

Narcissa went quiet as her finger rolled the next bauble between her fingers. Draco knew it was a diamond, like the emerald or the sapphire and diamond on Hermione's bracelet, the Malfoys didn't use fake gems or glass versions. Lucius wiped a tear that had fallen from Narcissa's eye. "This Draco was probably the most important charm I put on the bracelet. I told her it represented my heart. Many people saw me as ice personified. I never showed emotions or allowed others to rattle me. Your mother rattled me, she broke apart that cold shell and allowed love to flow. I promised this diamond would be the start but she had my heart and soon she would wear another diamond from me proudly."

Draco was surprised at how emotional his parents were. He had seen them both cry and laugh but this was the most emotional he had ever seen. "That's how dad proposed to you?" Lucius looked slightly affronted but melted at his wife's giggle.

"No love, that is how he promised me one day he would propose. That's what this was to me. A promise for the future we both wanted. He still adds charms each time something significant happens. The most recent charm was right after you and Harry received your letters." As she held the Hogwarts seal, Narcissa kissed her husband. She always felt so loved when she thought about the bracelet. "Now, I know you hadn't intended your gift to be considered a formal courting gift. And I don't believe Hermione views it as a promise of an engagement either. Everything we told her that morning is true. It will protect her from some of the unscrupulous individuals in our world. Just remember, her wearing it is important she has already accepted you and kissed you."

Draco blushed red at comment. "Yes, she initiated the one this year. Last year it was an accident we turned to wish the other a happy new year and our lips touched. I didn't think last year's lasted long but I thought the same about the one this year and Harry said it wasn't the quick peck I described." Narcissa chuckled again and looked to a blushing Lucius.

"It seems Draco you're more like your father than I've yet to give you credit. I kissed him as well and it wasn't until his friends started to cat-call that he pulled away. When he complained about how quickly they interrupted the kiss, they laughed and told him we'd been kissing for a few minutes. I have to admit they were fastest few minutes of my life as well."

The family remained in the room for a couple of hours answering all of Draco's questions. When the topic of doing more than kissing was broached, Draco turned a bright red and stumbled over his words. Relieved, Narcissa reminded Draco there was no rush for him to grow any faster than he was. She then left her boys to discuss some manly non-emotional stuff and went to find Jean. It was something her friend needed to know and the pair would figure out how to address it with Hermione.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Hermione was settled in the library with a stack of books on her favorite window seat but instead of reading, the witch was playing with the charms on her bracelet. The yellow one was reflecting the actual suns light off of its facets into hundreds of tiny rainbows. As she moved her arm the rainbows moved across the floor. Crooks had spent the majority of the holiday in the warmed portion of the garden and was once again the elves most favored member of the family. The gnomes were burrowing deep now and the elves told him it was good for a day or two.

Having listened to the elves, Crooks decided to search for his witch and since it was sunny, she'd probably be in the library. He was pleased he knew his witch so well, sitting on her favorite bench was the girl but surprisingly she didn't have a book on her lap. Instead she was playing with the thing around her wrist. The light haired wizard had given it to her and she seemed happy with it. What Crooks hadn't expected to see was hundreds of little things to chase. He wasn't sure if they would cause danger to his witch, but she would be protected under his watch.

The maybe more than half-kneazle stalked the colored things slowly and attacked the nearest thing first. Hermione laughed at Crooks and told him they weren't a danger, just pretty colors he could chase if he wanted. Since his witch was ok, he batted at few of them but they remained still. That was boring; however, before he turned away the things started to move again. The fight was back on.

Hermione sat and played with the bracelet for hours while Crooks attacked rainbow after advancing rainbow. As the sun moved past the window the rainbows disappeared, Crooks surveyed the room and determined the threat had passed before jumping on the window seat and curling up next to his witch. He purred as she carded her fingers through his mane and cooed at how brave he was. She told him whenever she was in the sun, the rainbows would appear. Crooks locked that away for later and drifted off for a nap.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Hermione drifted off to sleep as well and that was how her mother found her an hour later. Hermione had her arm around Crooks who remained napping in her embrace. Narcissa appeared a moment later with a camera and snapped a few pictures before sending the camera back to her room and helping to rouse the napping witch. After assuring Hermione there was no issue and she wasn't late for dinner, the trio settled at one of the many small tables scattered in the large library.

Hermione was than a little embarrassed to discover that everyone had seen her kiss Draco and not only her mum knew well but so did Narcissa. Her mum also knew she had two real kisses. She stuttered and stammered trying to find some reasonable excuse before Narcissa and Jean chuckled.

"You are so my daughter. I had my first kiss at twelve as well, granted my second kiss wasn't with the same boy. While I raised you as a normal muggle girl, it seems the fates had other plans so all those things we discussed on boys and what expectations your father and I had, are a bit adrift at this moment. I need to better understand our new world and for that we will need to rely on the Malfoys a bit more." Jean's fingers grazed the bracelet and saw the equally soft expressions on both Hermione and Narcissa's face.

With a little sigh, Jean sat up and started to speak again. "This wasn't really a conversation I envisioned for at least another year but I think the time has come to talk about sex dear. I know we discussed the basics of it during your health class your last year in primary but this isn't about bits, pieces and how they work. This is about feelings." Jean's tension was slightly relieved when Hermione blushed and braced for the unknown.

Narcissa, also noticing how uncomfortable Hermione was, smiled softly at the younger witch. "I will say everything I told you the morning you received the bracelet is completely true and accurate. However, I may have danced around the significance of a charm bracelet to the Malfoy men." Narcissa showed Hermione the bracelet she had received from Lucius and while it was the same, it wasn't. When Narcissa reached and touched the canary yellow diamond and started talking about the diamond on her bracelet, Hermione sat up straight.

"You mean this is an actual diamond and not glass?" Hermione's eyes were wide as she looked at what she thought was a glass bauble. By the time Hermione tore herself away from the maybe-not-a-bauble-but-a-diamond, Narcissa smiled in a way that told the younger witch it was an actual diamond. She didn't want to think how much it would have cost. As she gazed at it, the blue bauble swung into Hermione's line of sight. "And this one?" Narcissa's lack of a response was all Hermione needed to see to know both baubles were precious gems. "I can't wear this Narcissa. It's too nice and expensive for me to wear." Hermione seemed to get a frantic before her mother's hand covered the bracelet and wouldn't move until Hermione looked up.

"Baby, I would bet the bracelet has charms and spells to keep it safe. If you don't _want_ to wear it, that is one thing. But if the only reason you don't think you _should_ wear it is because of those two charms, then I will have Narcissa spell it so you can't take it off. So tell me why you _can't_ wear it." Jean sat quietly and waited for Hermione to respond. In reality the younger witch was still too stunned to say anything and when Jean removed her hand, Hermione gently stroked the bracelet.

"Is my mum correct Cissy? If something happens to my bracelet will I be able to get it back? Draco took so much time on it, it would kill me to lose it." Understanding Hermione's concern calmed Narcissa's own worries after hearing the younger witch say she couldn't wear the gift.

"If Draco and Lucius hadn't thought about adding those charms, we will add them before you leave. Now onto your other concern, dear. The Malfoy men don't do things in halves. When they make the decision to give jewelry it will always be the best. The stones on your bracelet and those on mine, come from the Malfoy vault. I know Draco spent a week looking at the various stones before selecting those two. He did it because he wants you to know how important you are to him. While he would give you a library, this is something you an always have on you. It has made him so happy to see you wear it. Just, think about what I've said now and then before you decide to wear it or not."

Hermione sat and looked at the bracelet again. "I want to wear it but was just afraid I'd lose it and Draco would get mad at me. You know? I'm not used to this sort of attention." Hermione blushed a little more before her mother spoke up.

"Well, I think this discussion needs to happen then. While you may not think of boys in that way or think of Draco as anything more than your friend, let me ask you to think how you would feel if he danced with another witch, or better yet, gave another witch a bracelet like yours?" Jean ended her question with a look to her daughter and Narcissa watched in glee how her friend was able to corner her daughter so smoothly.

Hermione was unable to not imagine what her mother had proposed and found herself not happy with the images. If pressed, she'd say she was jealous, but why would she be jealous? She really didn't know but she knew when she replaced Draco with Harry, the jealous feelings didn't emerge. When it was Harry, she was pleased he had found someone. _Bollocks_.

"I think I'd be jealous. I don't know what that means right now, but I know I wouldn't like it if either or both of those things happened." Hermione was a bit resigned. She liked her best friend more than just a friend. She guessed the fact she still wasn't totally comfortable with the idea was the reason she kept saying they were only friends. But she did enjoy kissing him.

Jean and Narcissa were surprised when Hermione admitted to feeling jealous. It was more than they had expected to get from her so quickly. "Then, I think that's enough for today. You're both still young and have years to figure it all out." Hermione was happy to leave the library for the first time in her life.

"Come on Crooks, let's go see what the elves made for you today." The cat dutifully followed his witch as he thought about the light haired wizard. Crooks liked that wizard more than the two dark haired ones that were around. Deciding to spend more time with the light haired wizard, Crooks was distracted and hadn't realized they'd reached the kitchen before Dilly the elf set a plate of fresh tuna in front of him. Smirking to himself, Crooks dove into the treat happily while his witch sat and gazed out the window in deep thought.

Hermione had one question running through her head. _"What do I do now?"_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Lucius left the house a bit later than he had intended but was still able to meet with a number important people at the Ministry, including the most important one. The meeting with Amelia was rather short since there wasn't much to say. He discovered the aurors hadn't been able to find any access points on land and were beginning to prepare to search the lake. It was going to be difficult since the lake was frigid and slowly the ice was advancing over the surface. He didn't envy whatever sorry bastard got stuck with that job.

Discovering all this didn't quell the wizard's nerves. It simply confirmed how dangerous Hogwarts currently was. His thoughts bounced from allowing the children to return and risk the beast attacking again or sending them somewhere else. The decision was becoming easier and easier with the Ministry unable to provide protection for the professors and students.

"It's time to discuss options with the others. No use in waiting around here." As Lucius began to make his way toward the floos a commotion broke out as multiple aurors popped into the building and began issuing orders.

There had been another attack and from the orders being barked, it sounded like it was getting worse.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

_**A/N: Lucius is starting to plot, know he will be quite pleased with himself in coming chapters, be aware.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N : Please make sure you have read Chapter 10. I posted two chapters today and I don't want anyone to miss out on some cute Draco and Hermione scenes. Plus Crooks showed up. And who doesn't love Crooks.**_

_**On to this week's planned chapter.**_

_**For those new readers who followed and favorited over the last few weeks. Hi, it's awesome you are taking your time to read my version of the characters lives. For all those reading, I want to do my best for you and I hope you enjoy. ~Lemons**_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The Headmistress of Hogwarts was beside herself. She and Minerva had warded the school to only allow the aurors access during the winter holiday. How in the sam hell did some random witch get past them and access the empty school? Neither of the witches had any answers yet as they watched with a bit of morbid curiosity as the fourth victim was removed from the grounds. They had each received an urgent message from Amelia Bones requesting they immediately return to Hogwarts as someone had broken into the school and then was attacked by the beast. The students were set to return to the school in under a week's time but that may now be pushed out for some undetermined length.

Minerva glared when the woman was wheeled past and a curse slipped from her lips. Sophie looked to her deputy and curiosity got the better of her. "Do you not like that woman Minerva? I don't recognize her as someone who has been at the school this year." Minerva's gaze remained focused on the frozen form and Sophie let her mind run wild and wondered if there was some long held grudge or anything that could take her mind off the current situation for just a few minutes.

"I haven't seen her for a few years. She was banned from the school grounds by the Wizengamot after being caught spying on the professors and students. She calls herself a journalist, but I think a more apt description would be liar." Minerva huffed and continued. "She writes for the Prophet and does their gossip column also known as front page news. Although her stories are so fantastical very few actually believe. Those believers are vocal and stubborn. The most interesting part is her supporters vary depending on who she targeted."

Sophie thought about the paper she had stopped reading by the end of her first week and realized the person who had broken in the school was named Scooter, maybe Scatter, she really couldn't remember as her writing style was very poor. "Ah, well let's make sure Madam Bones documents she had not only went around the Wizengamot's verdict and was on premise, but that she also broke through protection wards. I'd like to understand how she did that at minimum." Minerva's mind was flipping through what the witch could have done to bypass those wards and get into the school. One of the new wards had been created by former student. This particular student was now the top curse breakers for Gringotts and slowly being seen as the wizard to use when setting up or dismantling curses or wards. The goblins had started to outsource his talents with quite the mark up for those requesting services.

"I agree Sophie. It's been a minute since I've read Sherlock Holmes. Do you remember the quote about eliminating the impossible?" Sophie cocked her head to the side in thought.

"Oh, yes it's _once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth._" Minerva's gaze returned to the bundle of healers preparing to portkey themselves and the victim to London and St. Mungo's before turning back to Sophie.

"Quite."

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Bill Weasley was researching his next assignment when he heard his name called. Turning he saw his former Transfiguration professor standing in his doorway. The witch had helped him find his way in the world and in no small part, was responsible for the success in his work life. "Minerva! Such a pleasure to see you again. To what do I owe this surprise visit?"

Minerva had seen many students pass through the school and found the Weasley children to be the most interesting. Each boy was so different from the one (or ones) before him that she sometimes wondered how they were all raised in the same house. "Good afternoon Bill, we had an issue at the school and I wanted to discuss the ward you helped create."

That gave Bill pause, he'd created the ward specifically for Minerva in case something happened to the new headmistress. The ward took him weeks to figure out but once he had the general idea it wasn't especially difficult to construct and apply to the school. At least, not difficult for a man who had a mastery in Ancient Runes and Warding. "Of course." Bill flicked his wand toward the small seating area and removed all the scattered paperwork. Before sitting, the wizard shut the door and silenced the room. No reason for anyone walking by to overhear their conversation.

With a sigh, Minerva explained what had happened and who had broken into the warded school. "So Rita Skeeter somehow got around the wards and was petrified. Can't say it's that much of a loss to the world, although mum seems to be her biggest fan these days. I know she was out of Hogwarts more than a decade before I even started, but I didn't think she was that good with breaking wards."

Minerva snorted in a very undignified way. "No Bill, she never took Ancient Runes and barely made an acceptable score in her core subjects. So no, she didn't disable the wards. They were still standing when Sophie and I got there today. I can only see two alternatives but one is impossible and the other is improbable."

Bill sat up straight at the comment, his mind was racing until he too remembered the quote from Arthur Conan Doyle. He mumbled to himself to see if he could determine just what Minerva was thinking. "So all the impossible options have been eliminated. And all that is left to prove or disprove is the improbable." The man looked up and saw the same expression on his professor's face as when he told her he wanted to be a curse breaker. "She's an animagus?"

"If she is, then she is unregistered. I stopped at the Ministry first. There is no record of her having that ability."

The pair sat quietly for a few minutes mulling over the options. Was it possible? Yes. Impossible? No. Improbable? Most definitely.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Bill and Minerva arrived at the apparition boundary a few hours later. The pair had spent time reviewing the warding scheme and had a few theories. The only thing they were missing was an individual who was an animagus but Minerva thought she had a solution. She sent off her patronus with a request.

After the pair had a few moments to adjust to their arrival they were met by a couple whose Scottish brogue was impossible to miss. "Minnie, the children miss you already and they weren't happy when you had to leave so suddenly this morning." Bill watched in amusement as his strict and dower professor smiled happily before hugging the wizard and witch who were apparently waiting for them.

"Malcolm, this is Bill Weasley, he is a curse breaker for Gringotts and helped to create a special ward for the school. One that can't be removed until all casters are present. It was believed I would be the only person able to pass the ward but we need to test it. You've heard about why I was called away."

"Yes Minnie, the paper had an article about it in the evening edition. A bit crazy but I think the basic story is correct. Someone broke into the school and was petrified. Like the others." Malcolm looked to the young man standing with his sister and reached out his hand. "Malcolm McGonagall, I'm Minnie's original younger brother. BJ is the youngest now but he's at home with all the children." Bill laughed a bit at the image of a young Minerva, or Minnie, shepherding her brothers.

"Bill Weasley, pleasure to meet some of Minerva's family. I think she might avada me if I called her Minnie. Honestly it's difficult enough to remember she's Minerva now. I've been out of the school for over ten years and I still fall back to calling her Professor McGonagall." Malcolm laughed happily.

"Yes, my sister has always had that effect on people. BJ and I were the only ones who could get away with calling her Minnie until our own young ones were born. Now the village just calls her Aunt Minnie. It's a right sight. But that's not why she's sent for me and Anna. What can we do for you?"

Bill took about 40 minutes to explain the warding scheme in enough detail for the couple to understand no harm would come to them if they tried to pass the wards. They just wouldn't be able to move any closer to the school. It was a purely protective ward and had no adverse effect on the person.

"So what you are wondering is if any animagus can pass through the wards and if they have to be in their form in order to do it." Anna McGonagall née Adar had been a very bright student and continued her love of learning after graduating from Hogwarts. Her adventurous side was something that sometimes got her in a spot of trouble, but what good Gryffindor didn't get in trouble?

After Minerva nodded, Anna walked straight toward the school and was met by an invisible solid wall. The witch took two steps back and transformed into a sleek fox. The animal looked at the trio and seemed to smile before bolting straight for the ward. Malcolm was cursing his wife's desire to jump into the thick of things without thinking. "She had to run straight at it. Couldn't have just walked slowly. No, not my Anna." The fox had obviously crossed the barrier and was sitting happily on the steps leading to the doors of the ancient school.

"That was wonderful Anna, before you come back across, would you shift back and see if you feel anything and if you can come back across the barrier." Before Minerva finished her request, the fox morphed back to the witch who lounged on the steps with a proud smirk.

"Of course Minerva. I don't feel anything adverse going through the ward, not even a tickle. It was a bit disappointing honestly. Is there a ward on the school proper or just the one I've already encountered?" Anna began to walk back toward her husband. Once she reached the ward barrier she stopped and ran her hand over the ward. "No, I can't cross back. I'll shift and come through." Anna was a fox and then back to her witch form in a matter of a few seconds. "That was fun. I need to do that more often." Malcolm glared at his wife before wrapping his arm around her.

"Could you just, I don't know, be a bit more careful? Minnie didn't mean for you to run roughshod at the invisible wall love." Her tinkling laughter was the only response.

Bill watched the couple with a small smile. He and his now (official) fiancee had just returned from spending a week with her family. Wizards in love were always funny to watch. "Anna, thank you for testing the theory. It's seems the improbable is probably what happened. We just have to get it officially documented now."

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While the wards were being tested, Sophie and Amelia Bones had just returned to the DMLE with the recordings the aurors had set up once the students had left the grounds. "Sophie, I've sent a request for Gibby. He's offered to listen to anything we believe may relate to the beast. I do believe we were correct in not setting up the visual recording. I am leery to test just how deadly this beast can be."

The DMLE had recently received their personalized video recorders and all the aurors found them to be unobtrusive and highly effective in relating what happened versus what they thought happened. Everyone agreed it would be better to not test if a video recording would be deadly or not to the viewer.

As the audio began to play the now distinctive hissing was heard and Amelia sent off a quick note to inform Gibby there was something they'd like for him to translate. Just as Amelia was preparing to shut off the audio the sound of human footsteps started. The hissing stopped and the mumbling from the trespassing witch could be heard. "If they'd only allow me access I wouldn't have to break in. There must be something I can find about this beast." There was a bit of unintelligible sound from the distance and gasp. "Damn they are back sooner than I thought. Best to shift for a bit." The pair of witches looked to the other at the virtual admittance of her ability.

Sophie had explained Minerva's theory and how the deputy head was currently testing it. Amelia surprised herself by not reacting too badly. It seemed while her aurors were good, this was something beyond what her people apparently could solve alone. If not for the civilians working for the same thing, Amelia was relatively confident the beast would still not have been identified, the original portal's location or the possible locations of the chamber's second entrance.

"I hope Minerva will come here once her tests have been completed. I am curious on how the ward was created and what they found. Since admitted to shifting, I would believe she's in her animagus form now." As Amelia's comment ended the hissing was heard again before silence reigned for about ten minutes. It was then the first auror was on the scene and calling for reinforcements. "So we know she had been barely petrified when Hopkiss arrived. I'm grateful he was far enough away the beast had the space to retreat."

Once the DMLE had received the drawing of Hogwarts made by Abraxas Malfoy, they used it to document each of the school's floors and where the beast could access the plumbing pipes. Those were the main areas with the recorders and wards. MG Industries had also provided additional recorders that could be set up for long range recording and were positioned in the main hallways off of the main staircase. Amelia was tapping lightly on the map to where Skeeter had been located. It was down the hallway from the fifth floor landing and off the main staircase. There wasn't a bathroom near which indicated the beast either was freely roaming the deserted school or had other ways to travel in the old castle.

"Madam Bones, if we don't figure out how to destroy or at least contain the beast, it may be prudent to contact the families and set up the emergency protocols. I am not comfortable allowing close to 700 children, my professors, staff and others on the grounds." The women shared a look of determination but understanding.

"I agree, I'll speak with the Minister and ensure the alternative location is prepared posthaste. We will decide in a couple of days. We have an unspeakable negotiating with the merpeople. I have hopes we can finish the search of Black Lake soon."

Gibby had arrived earlier but didn't announce his presence just yet. He liked to know what was really going on and had found people spoke freely when they believed themselves to be alone. He couldn't allow the school to be closed and was determined to work with these witches to keep the grand school open. He moved to the middle of the office and _popped_ in. He really just made a loud cracking noise and removed his disillusionment charm. Elves only popped when they wanted someone to know they had arrived or presumably left.

"Gibby, thank you for coming so quickly. Another attack has happened and the beast was recorded just before it happened. If you would please translate." The old elf rolled his eyes (in him mind) and waved the witch to play the tape.

After ten minutes and a request to play it again, the elf was ready. "Most of it is what it always says about coming closer and feeding. The beast was startled when a body appeared in front of him. The beast said no one was there but then saw the body. This is most intriguing." The elf didn't comment on his own thoughts and left that to the witches. If they couldn't figure it out, he would say something to Kitmu. Gibby was loyal to his family and the fact an ancestor helped create the school was enough to ensure the elf would do everything in his power to keep Slytherin's legacy open.

As the witches discussed what was said, Gibby left the office and went to visit Kitmu. When Gibby explained what he heard, Kitmu immediately promised to keep an eye on the investigation and make an appropriate comment if it was needed.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Lucius Malfoy was used to people telling him things immediately, so he knew something had happened at the school the day before, but he had yet to hear from the Headmistress, the Deputy Headmistress, the Head of the DMLE or the Minister. It was almost more than he could handle. He had informed the adults of what little he knew and as a group they'd agreed to keep the latest bit from the children. The boys would be fine but it was Hermione who caused the worry. The poor witch had been through so much already and all had heard her make a comment or two about how worried she was what the beast wanted. Grudgingly, the adults had silently agreed she was probably correct.

At this exact moment, the children were in the greenhouse with Pomona and Severus getting the mandrakes into larger pots. The Longbottom boy had arrived as well and was diligent in this activity. He had admitted to Hermione how useless he felt. This was the one thing he could do to help his dad. Lucius greatly appreciated how the boy carried himself in public. To the casual observer, the young wizard carried the mantle of the family with a remarkable stoicism, while his father was unable to fulfill his role. He had also taken to wearing cardigans as a reminder of the man he idolized. Lucius wondered if something happened to him, if Draco would grow his hair long. The thought made Lucius chuckle.

"It's good to hear you laugh, even if it's only a chuckle. We've all been too stressed." Narcissa sat in her chair across the room while Lucius ruminated on the state of everything.

"Yes, just a wild thought but nothing of import. I was thinking I should contact someone. If nothing's been found, I'm going to have to call a meeting to discuss if the school will reopen and if not, what contingency plans are in place." Lucius knew the children under his care would be able to continue their education almost unhindered but the other children at the school weren't as lucky and Lucius loathed the thought of leaving behind a substantial portion of their shared future.

"You know Lucius, if they don't have a plan, we could offer up one of the buildings on the far edge of the property. Let the Headmistress ward it herself but include our ancient wards. The children would be protected and allow for them to return home in the evenings or weekends if they desired. Sometimes I wonder if a full time boarding school is needed in our world anymore."

Lucius thought of the number of outbuildings that were kept up but not used. It wouldn't be difficult to convert one or more of them into a temporary school. There was less than six months left in the year and it would cause the least disruption. "That is something I hadn't thought of, you, my dearest love, are brilliant. Let me discuss with Severus and see if it could work. The two largest stumbling points would be the library and Pomona's greenhouses. But I'm sure we can figure something out."

Lucius wandered off to find Severus while Narcissa settled back into her book. '_Thoughts on Education_' was a muggle book discussing how this generation of children were vastly different from their grandparents and their educational needs varied greatly from what their own parents had. Jean had mentioned something about it a week earlier and Narcissa wondered if the book would be helpful for magical parents. To her pleasant surprise, the book didn't delve into muggle school topics, but how each generation differed from the ones before it and how they were similar. Narcissa immediately saw her own children, yes she considered all four of the children under her roof as hers, in the descriptions.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Amelia Bones arrived at St. Mungo's and was directed to the Head Healer's office. The healer had been on an emergency call but the surgery was wrapping up so it shouldn't be too long of a wait for the DMLE head. The healer rushed in and apologized before offering some tea. Healer Rosemead was a middle aged wizard who had broken a number of NEWT scores and was ranked as one of the best healers in magical Europe.

"Again Madam Bones, I apologize for the inconvenience but it was unavoidable. The young witch wouldn't have made it if not for the emergency procedure. But, let's discuss the reason you requested the meeting. We can't determine if Ms. Skeeter is or isn't an animagus until the petrification has been reversed. I have been able to determine her petrification differs from the others. I haven't been able to pinpoint just what yet, but her vitals aren't as strong and her form is more solid than the others. It could just be the differences between witches and wizards, the fact she is an animagus or something we've not yet determined. Whatever is the cause, once she is awake and cleared medically, she will be turned over to the DMLE. From a purely intellectual stand point, I'd like to request my presence for her initial interrogation. Not for hearing what she has to say about her whys and excuses, but to hear what she saw and felt. I will be asking each of the others the same thing, as I am planning on writing a paper on the topic."

Amelia never liked to have non-Aurors present for questioning but the healer had a valid point. This information could be vital in the future. "I'd like you to generate a list of questions and I will ensure they are answered. You may be present, but you will not be in the room, you can watch from the observation room. This way you can make comments and if you want more information, it can be relayed to the interrogator."

Without a second thought, Healer Rosemead agreed. He did work better with speaking to himself so sitting in a different room would allow him to do that. "Another thing that could provide us with invaluable information would be her vitals. I would like your permission to track her vitals when discussing the beast. Again, I will be doing the same with the other victims."

"As long they don't interfere with the questioning I wouldn't have a problem with it. How would you do this?" The witch was bright but never had any interest in the healing arts.

"It's a simple spell and the vitals will be documented on a piece of parchment I'll have with me. Depending on how quickly you begin the interrogation the charm from the hospital may still be in effect. It wears off of most patients within 36 hours of release and if I'm there with the necessary documents I can track without her even knowing I was there. If it's failed, I would have to reapply it."

Amelia agreed and allowed the healer to return to his responsibilities while Amelia returned to her own.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Lucius had finally found his friend and the pair discussed the option Narcissa had put forth. Severus didn't know exactly what was in the works but said there was some plan. However, if the Malfoy plan was more appealing it shouldn't be difficult to make the change. "Let's see these buildings and what would be needed to get them ready."

The wizards spent a few hours going through the buildings thinking about the requirements. A number of classrooms, labs and offices would be necessary along with dorm rooms large enough for all the students, mastery students and professors. Additionally, the elves would need space for themselves and their things. The smaller building seemed to be the right size for classrooms, labs and offices, while dorms and common rooms would be in the larger one. Since the second building was large enough to house everyone, it would reduce the complication of sending the students home each night and accounting for them the next morning. If the student wanted to go home on the weekends that could be easily arranged.

After earmarking where Severus would like the potions lab, Lucius allowed him to create the room as needed. While Severus was creating his perfect lab, Lucius went to the other rooms and set up a very basic layout for each classroom allowing the professors to finalize the set up and decorate as they desired. After reviewing the second building and working through the requirements, Severus was more than pleased to realize it would have ample space for the students to relax, study and sleep. This would be where the apprentices and professors would also be housed. The apprentices didn't need much since they would work on their various projects as directed by their master.

The only person who would have their lodging and office in the smaller building was the headmistress. Lucius and Severus agreed it would be preferred to have the headmistress in close reach during the day. To address the potential concern of Sophie quickly getting to the dorm building, it was decided there would be a number of floos added that only could be used to move to different parts of the school.

By the end of the day the two buildings were as ready as they could be and Lucius set up a meeting with Sophie and Minerva for the next morning. What Lucious hadn't expected was for Severus to set up rooms for the professors on the topmost floor with a way for the students to contact them directly if needed. In a move that would probably cause some amount of discourse, Severus made no allowance for the houses. The dorm rooms were set up by year and gender with no other segregation. The direct link to the professors was from each room and would alert all the professors to any issue.

Severus had long seen the housing method as a way to build walls between the students. He didn't know if his life would have been different if there had been no Slytherin/Gryffindor rivalry or if his personal bullies would have found a different reason. More than likely, they'd have found some other reason.

After selecting his own room and decorating it modestly, the wizard returned to the home his parents had left him. He realized he really didn't care for the house which was why he rarely stayed there. It seemed especially cold and lonely now.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

When the sun rose to start another day, Lucius Malfoy was already awake and sitting at the dining table. He had eaten and was now reviewing his proposal. Sophie and Minerva were scheduled to arrive at nine and Lucius wanted to be prepared. He didn't know what alternative options the Headmistress had but he knew how much better he would sleep if his children were on the grounds and safe.

The only concern Lucius had, after seeing what else Severus had done to the dorm building, was where the library, kitchen and 'Great Hall' would be situated. The large space between the two building was enough to accommodate a kitchen and hall that would hold the entire school. Similar to Hogwarts the library could be on the floor above. Maybe adding a third story for the infirmary and some large rooms used for whatever the headmistress thought necessary. Building wouldn't take too long and the entire place could be up and going within a week.

When Narcissa saw the plans the night before, she mentioned a thought she'd had about using the buildings as a school for younger children at some point. She had been responsible for ensuring Draco and Harry were taught what they would need in order to succeed at Hogwarts. She was surprised and dismayed when Severus spoke of how poorly a portion of the student body wrote. The idea was born then and after working with her boys, she had privately took to planning how to institute the school for a larger number of children.

Lucius had noticed how bored Narcissa seemed once the children had left for school and had hoped she'd find something she could devote her time to making a success. They had both agreed the priority right now was Hogwarts and how to protect the students. It seemed like the sun had just risen when Usher escorted the two witches into Lucius's study.

"Good morning to you both, would you like some tea or breakfast before we begin?" As anxious as Lucius was, he was also the consummate host.

"No, but thank you Lucius, we've actually come from a breakfast meeting with the Minister. If it wasn't just nine I would opt for a whiskey over tea." Sophie looked drained and Minerva's expression was one Lucius hated to see as a student. "As you wish, let's settle and discuss a few things I'm worried about for the upcoming term." The witches looked the other and the look seemed to be resigned to something.

"Lucius, before we begin, I've been remiss in communicating with you regarding the latest news. For that, I apologize, time got away from me and before I knew it the paper printed the story. The actual facts hadn't even been known before it was reported." Sophie deflated a bit more. It seemed her failures kept mounting and the stress was getting to her.

"Sophie, if you'd like I can fill Lucius in on everything and look the other way if you need to spike your tea. I have a full flask with Scottish whiskey if yours is empty." Minerva sent her boss a wink and turned to Lucius. Neither paid attention to whether the other witch did indeed spike her tea. As Minerva explained the wards and what they believed happened Lucius nodded at all the correct parts. "We had a basic contingency plan in place but with nothing happening during the holidays, no one moved on them until Skeeter had been found."

"So what are these plans?" Lucius was pleased to know they had thought enough ahead to have something in place but worried by how dismal the witches looked.

"Yes, the Minister swore he'd set up something that would make Hogwarts look outdated. What he provided was nothing more than some warehouse the Ministry happened to own in what I've come to discover is a rather sketchy part of muggle London. It was completely unacceptable and now we are forced to decide if we use it or help the students move to other schools. If that happens I fear many will not return next year."

While Lucius wasn't pleased at just how poorly the Minister had acted, it did mean his alternative may be accepted a bit more quickly. "Well ladies, let me start this with that I understand and appreciate you coming to explain what you had in place. It seems the three of us are more alike than not. I had the same concerns and thought if it was unsafe to open the school again, when we could identify a safe alternative. While I was struggling with options, Narcissa again came to the rescue. If you will allow me, I'd like to show you an alternative option I've been working on with a few others." The witches, who were desperate, agreed and each took an arm as Lucius apparated them out of the Manor. After landing, the witches saw two large and somewhat generic buildings. "The exterior hasn't been changed yet, but I do have some ideas. Let's go into the classrooms first."

As Lucius began his tour, he admitted Severus assisted with preparing the buildings and had already laid claim to a space for the potion lab and his personal dwellings. It surprised neither witch when the space earmarked for the lab was the basement of the building. Lucius chuckled and admitted it was difficult to have a dungeon in every building on the property. As they walked through the rooms, Minerva noticed the one for her and smiled at how homey it felt. "The classrooms haven't been completed yet. There are few things I'd like to discuss before that all happens."

Sophie was more than impressed with the classrooms and when she asked about dorms, Lucius admitted to thinking the students would return home each night. He went on to say after Severus gave him a look and rolled his eyes, they determined the second building would be able to accommodate the students and staff as needed. It seemed Lucius forgot even with a curfew, students still took advantage of using all time allotted to them.

As far as Sophie was concerned, the dorm building was almost too good to be true. Lucius again acknowledged the layout was done by Severus with the thought of removing the individual houses. It would have been impossible to find a building large enough to have a layout that matched the current set up. He also mentioned Severus had taken it upon himself to set up basic rooms for the apprentices and the professors. The witches took their time as they walked through the rooms and found Severus Snape had a hidden talent for spacial recognition and finding the best way to divide the space.

After the dorms, the group made their way to the large space between the two buildings. "If this alternative is accepted, this where the main spaces of the school would be. It's large enough to house the student body, apprentices and professors. I've spoke with an architect who is mocking up a few options and once the selection has been made it will take about a week to complete. Those involved have obviously taken a vow to not mention this, but wish to ensure Hogwarts survives this threat."

Sophie was awed a bit more than she expected to be. This was something Lucius was able to put together in less than a day and had addressed all the physical needs of the school and students. The Minister who had over a month to do anything did nothing. "Obviously I can't make the decision at this moment, I would like to discuss it with my professors and also the entire board. I believe the head of the board may be in agreement on this option and the board would probably follow his lead. The only thing I wonder about is the warding. What sort of wards are currently present? Will we have permission ward this area in a manner similar to Hogwarts? What is the plan for the students to arrive and depart?"

"Yes, I had forgotten to detail those plans during the tour. Let's start with the arrival and departure question. Unlike Hogwarts the land isn't covered with any anti-apparition charms, so families could apparate. There will be a number of secured floo connections set up but with 700 students the logistics could be a bit overwhelming. So my thought had been to use the Hogwarts Express. There are tracks and a small station situated just beyond the wards. It wouldn't be difficult to have the train run here instead of Hogsmeade." Minerva wasn't surprised at just how prepared Lucius was. She had noticed that in school, if the man wanted something he was driven to succeed.

"As for the wards, the scheme is probably easier to understand if I show you the drawings. If you will?" Lucius reached out his arms and the trio were back in the Manor and the warm study Lucius had allocated for himself. He pulled various documents from a drawer and began to lay them across the large oak table in the room. "This is the plat map for the complete estate. The Manor and the buildings we were viewing are located here and here. As you see the Manor, surrounding homes, and other buildings used for the estate, have some ancient protection wards ensuring if someone were to access the grounds, they couldn't get into any of the inhabited areas. The back edge of the property, where the buildings we've just viewed are located, is warded with similar protections but were not as limiting since this area had once been used by the family as the location for various aspects of the business. Those wards can easily be strengthened. Additionally, the three of us can add any other protections you'd like. As the head of the family and estate, my involvement is necessary but will not limit you in what you'd like to do. In fact, I have a few suggestions for the overall wards and Narcissa would like to discuss somethings before the interior of the buildings are finalized."

By the time lunch rolled around, Sophie had all but decided to accept Lucius on his offer and begin to figure out how to accomplish everything. In the end, Lucius agreed to extend the winter break for an additional week and allow the school to figure out the best way to deal with the impact related to the course schedules and end of year tests the delay would cause.

By dinner, Sophie and Minerva had shown the professors the two options and they unanimously selected what Lucius and Severus set up. The second decision related to the design of the center building. The architect had done three exceptional proposals and in the end, the Hogwarts elves made the selection. Lucius already contacted the builder and provided the selected layout. They would start the next day and promised to work around the clock until it was complete. The new building would be three stories. The second story would house the complete library and the third would be the hospital ward and some open space to be used as needed.

Finally, Lucius reviewed the warding scheme proposed by Sophie and Minerva. He suggested a few changes that would allow the new wards to compliment the older ones and still allow students the ability to access the grounds allocated. While Narcissa's suggestions related to the safety of the students and who could do what, when and how. Minerva chuckled at the most important change Narcissa wanted.

By the time Lucius crawled into his bed, he was more than comfortable with the safety of the children.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

_**A/N : For the next stories, if there are any of the side plots or characters you find interesting, let me know. I have the story line for the main characters but I think there are a ton of stories surrounding the secondary characters. Anyway, let me know what characters you'd like/love to see more in the future. Last chapter today, everyone enjoy your weekend.**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: Hope everyone's weekend was nice. My brother's birthday was yesterday and his wife had a party. I think we are all getting a bit too old to try and relive the "good ole days". We all survived and I drove 5 hours home with only a small headache. I say the weekend was an overall win.**_

_**With the upcoming holiday here in the states, I'm thankful for everyone who reads this (or my other stories), whether the stories or favorited, followed or reviewed, I'm incredibly thankful for you giving my little stories a bit of your precious time. For those celebrating this coming Thursday, I wish you the day you want. For those not celebrating, I still wish you the day you desire. **_

_**Finally, I think I mentioned this last chapter, the story is complete and tops out at eighteen chapters. I have the basic outline for third year done, but it's a ways from being posted. I do have a couple of one shots I will add to the collection after this story is complete.**_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The boys were pleased to hear their break had been extended and took advantage of the extra few days to continue their training for when they'd return to school and the Quidditch season. Hermione was upset at having another week before she had the chance to learn anything new. While the boys gave her a bit of hassle about it, they all agreed they too were ready to return. The children were generally fine with the idea until their parents explained had happened over the last week at the castle.

"Will Hogwarts close?" Hermione would be inconsolable if the beast that wanted her was the reason the ancient school closed. Her voice quivered a bit and everyone worried over her reaction to what Lucius would tell them.

"We hope not Hermione, the DMLE is still in talks with the merpeople and until they get into the lake, we remain in this current state of limbo. We don't know where the entrance is and cannot guarantee the safety of anyone. For at least this next term, the students will still be taught at Hogwarts, but it won't be at the castle. This provides the DMLE more time to find the entrance and determine the best way close it safely. Hopefully they will be able to deal with the beast but if not, it will be secured in the chamber until a safe and workable plan is identified."

"Ok Lucius, I understand. I'm just upset the school is closing because of me." Before the young witch could continue she was interrupted by multiple voices. It was Lucius who quieted the group and addressed what Hermione finally admitted.

"Hermione, it isn't your fault. It really isn't. The beliefs leading to this didn't start last year or in the last ten years. These beliefs started to really take hold with the statue of secrecy was implemented. For hundreds of years magical beings believed themselves better than those without magic. For those who were born with magic but from parents without magic, resentment began to build. Again it wasn't their fault they had magic, it was part of them. Like having brown hair or grey eyes, it's determined a bit by faith. There's no way for a set of parents to select what their child will look like, it's up to the gods. So right now, this could have happened years ago or it could have been held off until years in the future."

Lucius was proud when he saw acceptance in Hermione's eyes. "Good dear, now the plan is for the new school to be ready in a day or two allowing the professors a day to get their personal space and rooms set up. However, if you'd all like, we can visit the new school and take a little tour." The children were actually excited to see their new school and jumped at the idea. Once everyone was bundled in their warmest clothes, it was almost the middle of January after all, the group each grabbed a portion of the parchment before the portkey activated.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

After the tour and giving the place an all around thumbs up, Draco stood and looked in the distance. There was something familiar about the area, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. After a more intense look around he did notice something that was unacceptable. "Where's the pitch? How can we practice, let alone play without a proper pitch?" While the adults did love the sport it hadn't really been on anyone's mind until Draco mentioned it.

"Draco, I will admit it wasn't something we thought about. This was a bit of a last minute thing. I'll make a few calls and see what we can do. Alright?" The boys were more upset about the possibility of no quidditch than Hermione had been about getting an extra week of break, making the adults chuckle.

After returning to the Manor, the children discussed their new school and everyone agreed to give it a chance. Harry did joke about seeing Oliver's face when he realized there wasn't a pitch. "He is going to cry, I will bet on it. I think he says something about how you can't cancel quidditch." The group laughed as they went off to enjoy the unexpected extra days. After a surprising quick week, the had packed their trunks and were ready for the next day when they would arrive at Kings Cross and the Hogwarts Express. All wondered just what new surprises awaited them.

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After departing Kings Cross, Draco and Harry started to tell everyone about how great the new buildings were. While the boys continued to talk about the dorms and how updated everything looked, Daphne had settled next to Hermione and the pair began to discuss the same topic. "Are you ok Hermione? I heard them say the library would be transferred so you won't miss out on that. I have to admit I look forward to being able to go home on the weekend if I wanted." Daphne loved the chance to get away from her family but discovered after about a month she began to miss them and to have the opportunity to see them (and remember why she was excited about boarding school) was quite appealing to the young witch.

"I'm fine, really I am, Mum and Dad, Lucius and Narcissa, and even the boys really helped me to understand this was a chance for the school to expand what it is. While Hogwarts has been the school of tradition, there are things we can do here that can't be done there. It will be great." Hermione smiled for real and leaned into Daphne whispering. "Have they brought up quidditch yet?"

"Surprisingly they haven't. Why? It's not like you to bring it up." Daphne wondered if someone had cursed her best friend.

"It's not that. Watch." Speaking a bit more loudly, Hermione focused on the two boys holding court. "Harry have you offered the others a spot in the pool. Right now the odds are even and were is the fun in that?" Hermione had been drafted to keep track of the bet and decided to add odds to the play and right now, neither boy had anything more than pride on the line.

Surprised, Harry slowly shook his head. "No, I didn't think we wanted to let that out just yet. I mean, we won't see the immediate reaction if there are rumors." Hermione's smirk told Harry he should just let the cat out of the bag. The wizard scowled slightly at his friend and turned the rest. "So apparently when Lucius was planning, he hadn't thought about a pitch. And while it looked like there was more than enough land, there isn't anything yet. Lucius said he'd sort it. So after we got home I mentioned how I thought Oliver Wood would be in tears when he realized there was no pitch. Thus the bet between Draco, Blaise and I. Hermione added odds and apparently she thinks we need more people involved. I want to keep it a secret, so only us are in the pool. Agreed Hermione?"

Hermione nodded while pulling a piece of parchment from the bag at her feet. All the boys lined up and they began to discuss the options and if there could be new alternatives added. The bets were a single galleon each. The current options were for Wood noticing before angrily sobbing that quidditch can't be cancelled. The second was him slipping out with the help from a Gryffindor prefect and taking his time only to find the grounds too large to search totally and being incredibly scared quidditch was no longer a sport. The final was for him to not notice until after the welcoming feast when he went to inspect the suitability of the pitch. His search would be extensive and he would end up getting lost. He'd be found the next morning.

The rest of the boys laughed and agreed the options were on point before each dropping one galleon into Hermione's hand. Hermione stated if none of those outcomes occurred the pot would roll over to next the bet. Shortly after settling the final bets, Hermione safely stored the money and parchment before pulling out her school robes. "Daphne, I'm going to change if you'd like to join me." The pair of witches left before returning twenty minutes later to find their friends had taken the chance to get themselves ready. The boys were in the middle of debating the slate of professional matches that took place over the holiday making Hermione waved her arms in frustration. Daphne let out a startled gasp looking not at Hermione's face but her wrist.

"I didn't expect this." As Daphne caught the other witch's waving arm before she continuing her comments. "What is this?" Gently looking at the charm bracelet, Daphne's eyes cut to Draco who was sitting a bit proudly on the bench. The debate was still going on, but Draco was more focused on the girls now. "You didn't mention this in your letter."

Hermione blushed and smiled shyly when she too looked at the bracelet. "It was a new year's present. It's beautiful isn't it?" Hermione pulled Daphne back to their seats and began to tell her about the charms before mentioning Draco's note. Daphne, who had been raised to recognize tradition when she saw it. Nodded sagely before looking to Draco, who gave one firm nod and returned to his conversation.

"It is very lovely. Did you show Narcissa?" Daphne didn't think the Malfoy family would stoop to tricking Hermione, but as a muggleborn there were things she might not really understand. Not wanting Hermione to think Daphne didn't trust Draco, she stopped from saying anything else and watched her friend lightly finger the charms.

Hermione didn't look up and spoke quietly so only Daphne could hear. "Yes, this gift has many meanings. I'm not sure I can totally explain it. Draco is someone who is very important to me. This bracelet shows everyone he considers me important. It protects me from someone trying to gain favor through deceit and trickery. It gives Draco the ability to protect me. It gives me the ability to protect Draco." Daphne smiled knowing all those things were wrapped up in courting. "We're too young to really court yet, but it's not something I think I would be against. I know you saw our kiss, but it wasn't our first. That kiss occurred at the new year's ball before this one. My first one where I got my first kiss. It wasn't on purpose but it's one of my happiest memories."

"I'm glad he gave it to you. It's beautiful and I'm sure will cause quite a bit of gossip once we arrive. Draco will be impossible eventually. He's the first in our year to gift jewelry, and that is something important to some of the more traditional families." The girls laughter was interrupted when the announcement was made about arriving in twenty minutes. Wherever the school was, it was much closer to Kings Cross than the Scottish Highlands.

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It took a bit longer to direct all the students toward the carriages after the train pulled into the station called Hogwarts No. Two, but eventually they were all on their way and Sophie thought she might need another holiday. "I didn't expect it to be so difficult." Minerva was rubbing her forehead.

"Agreed, let's get the rest of the staff here in the carriages and get ourselves back. I'm sure Severus will have everything in hand by the time we arrive, but it's best to not leave him alone too long. The students may all have detention before too long."

The trip to the school was quick and soon Sophie was standing in front of her students once more. After welcoming them, she explained what had occurred over the holidays and why they weren't at the castle. The majority of the students were relieved they were still students of Hogwarts and their safety was finally a priority. The few who weren't happy were grumbling about how the castle was just a cooler place. Sophie shrugged, she knew she couldn't please everyone.

After the dishes from the first lunch of the final term had been cleared from the tables, the students were quietly talking and Sophie knew it would take a far amount of time to tour the new facility so she stood and finally the students quieted.

"Now before we head to the dorms there are a few changes. Since these buildings aren't as large as the castle some alterations were made to the living accommodations. We can't sort by house, so the dorms are by year and gender. Half of each floor is a dedicated common study area with the remainder split between sleeping quarters. There are rooms with five beds each and a bed for each student but how you arrange yourselves is entirely up to you. As for the prefects, given the new layout, I've requested our head students set up a new patrolling schedule. What that means, is there will be four prefects doing rounds. One set will be assigned to the school and library, while the other will be for the dorm building and hall. Questions can be asked to the head students."

The hall was silent as a tomb. The dissolving of the houses was something no one expected. Sophie saw it as a test to see if the students could truly learn where someone sleeps doesn't make them better or worse. In fact the sorting hat giggled in glee when it was told of the plan.

"The professors will be on the topmost floor of the dorm building and all will be available if the need arises. Now I think that's enough let's get on with the tour."

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The tour took more time than Sophie expected due to how the students were divided and escorted by two professors. Every class year had multiple questions for their professors making the tours drag. Harry, Draco, and Blaise were concerned Wood would realize the lack of a pitch and they'd his reaction. Luckily for them, he hadn't made any comments on the pitch most likely due to how much new information they were being provided.

Once the tours were over, the students returned to hall for dinner and to catch up with their friends before turning in for the night. While the long house tables were replaced with smaller round and oblong tables, the older students in each house still tended to flock together.

Harry and his friends grabbed a few tables and were catching up on everyone's holiday, before Oliver Wood placed his hand on Harry's shoulder and beckoned the second year to follow him. Oliver didn't want to say anything since members of the opposition were seated at the table and due to his stealth, no one would realize the point of pulling Harry away from his friends was to discuss the new quidditch tactics he worked out over the extended holiday. Draco chuckled until he heard his name and saw the entirety of the Slytherin team gathering around a table that had been pulled into a secluded corner. The rest of Slytherin moved to protect the team from curious ears.

Within fifteen minutes all four teams were huddled up going over plans. The Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams were quietly informed of the missing pitch and asked to keep it a secret for a bit longer. After they questioned why it was a secret, the bet was detailed and chuckles were heard from each team. The second year boys all ended up with a parchment of who bet on what and bag of galleons and each decided to keep these bets outside of the original. When Hermione received three bags of galleons and the associated parchments after returning to their shared common room later, each boy was presented with a questioning look from the witch. Their responses were identical, Hermione was the most responsible after all and each of the other house teams realized she would be the best to handle such a delicate proposition. Hiding how pleased she was, Hermione released and semi-dramatic sigh, before accepting the items.

As the team meetings drew to a close, the teams returned to their friends, everyone kept an obvious watch on the Gryffindor team. The lions remained in their group meeting for an extra thirty minutes before the professors began to shuttle the students toward their dorms. Harry, as the only Gryffindor player in the bet, kept close as close as he could to his team captain. As the second year dorm loomed closer, Harry finally heard Oliver whispering with the prefect from his year. He told the prefect to cover for him while he checked out the pitch. Harry quickly signaled the others and the second years quickly made their way to the common room and the windows overlooking the front of the school. From there the students watched the Gryffindor captain leave.

Harry and Draco quickly realized once Oliver entered the trees, their ability to provide the actual outcome would be lost. Being the sneaky second year wizards they were, the boys decided to follow Oliver using the cloak from Regulus and Hermione silenced their footsteps. Blaise declined his invitation, it was too cold and he really didn't care one way or another. With only the two small second years, Harry and Draco agreed to not speak unless something was drastically wrong. Draco kept track of the school while Harry tracked Oliver. After two hours the second years gave up and returned to the school with none the wiser.

When the sun rose the next morning, the second years were some of the first students to arrive in the hall for breakfast. Since it was a Sunday, classes wouldn't start until the next day. When the captains of the Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff teams each approached their second year teammates, the second year would just shake his head. It was about forty-five minutes later when a disheveled Oliver Wood was led into the Hall by Professors McGonagall and Snape, it seemed the captain of the Lions had spent the night outside and was openly crying. "But Professors you can't let quidditch be cancelled! It's a tradition to have teams." The tables were watching with confusion, some were confused why Wood was saying quidditch was canceled and the others were trying to figure out who won the bet. Snape shook his head and directed the boy toward the mediwitch and the infirmary.

The headmistress sat with a look of shear disbelief on her face. She didn't understand why people loved that sport, but berated herself for not mentioning the pitch issue the night before. There just had been so many other things and the pitch had never entered her mind. With a sigh she stood to address the students who were now loudly talking about the recent development.

"Everyone, if I can have your attention." The students stopped and turned their attention to the headmistress. "It seems I should have mentioned this during the announcements last night. I will start off with saying quidditch is not nor will it be canceled. It had been brought our attention there wasn't a pitch the day before you arrived. We are currently in discussions on where practice will be and whether the games will be played there or not. I hope to have some answers for you before the end of the week. Due to this delay the season will be pushed back one week to make up for the practices you may or may not miss. Once we have more information I will provide it to you. Now, curfew rules still apply as do the rules regarding leaving the school after dark."

At this point Oliver ran into the hall with a relieved smile and announced quidditch would still be played. After his euphoric comment, he decided to lay on the floor and get some sleep. Severus looked to Minerva and seemed to say he's your problem now. With a sigh, Minerva levitated the exhausted wizard back toward the steps to the infirmary. She'd assess detentions once he was actually released.

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Hermione had decided they would be no winner to the bet and held the coins for the next time the boys decided to bet on something inane. She also requested the bets from the three teams be returned. She didn't want to track that many people. After sending everyone off on their errands, Hermione pulled out her notes and began to review her second year work before turning to her advanced lessons. Over the holidays Professors McGonagall and Snape gave short lessons almost everyday to make sure the trio would be on track for the end of the year. It also gave the children a break from the continued thoughts about the beast and how to find its home.

Hermione reviewed her potion notes on her next potion assignment and brewing instructions for the practical. The undetectable poison potion would be the most difficult one she had done so far. Slowly Hermione began to work through the instructions until she believed she could do it when it counted. Her transfiguration work included practicing the Draconifors Spell which Draco admitted was his favorite. Chuckling at the memory, Hermione practiced changing her hair ribbon into a dragon and then back. Only once did the ribbon roar and release a burst of fire from the end.

After getting comfortable she was ready for her extra classes, Hermione set about reviewing her notes once more for the next day. That was how Daphne found Hermione about an hour later. The Gryffindor had stretched out on her bed and held her notes over her head.

"You already know it Hermione, let's go out to the common room for a bit." Daphne pled with Hermione before the other girl agreed.

"Ok, but let me put everything away." Hermione organized her books and notes for the next day and placed them in her bag. The rest of the items were neatly stacked and set in her trunk. She then put the bag in her trunk and locked it before placing a protection spell on it. She and boys were still leery about who had caused the explosion months earlier and decided they should keep their items locked when they didn't have them on their persons. Daphne thought it was a bit of overkill, but then again her best friend and two other close friends were almost badly injured with that explosion.

As at Hogwarts, the dorms were charmed so no boys could enter the girl's room and to the chagrin of the Gryffindors, no girls could enter the boy's room. After Hermione and Daphne departed, a pair of eyes glared at the retreating figures before turning towards the room Hermione and friends had selected. The muggleborn would pay for showing up. She would pay with what she cared about most. Her school work. A quiet but ominous giggle was heard followed by footsteps.

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About five minutes after settling with their friends, Hermione's wand began to buzz. Right after Hermione's wand started so did Harry and Draco's wands. They knew the buzzing would mean someone was messing with their stuff, but they weren't sure whose. Before they could make a plan to check on everything Professors McGonagall and Snape breezed into the room and motioned for everyone to remain. Severus walked directly into the boy's dorm while Minerva took the girls. A moment later Professors Sprout and Flitwick walked into the dorm and called for the students to gather round them. A ripple of nervousness made its way around the dorm before the professors calmed everyone.

"No worries students. We've set up some protection wards and alarms on the dorms. One was tripped we are just investigating." The students murmured about who and what would cause the alarm to be tripped when Severus walked out empty handed and nodded to Pomona. The Herbology professor moved more quickly than anyone had ever seen and was in the girl's dorm almost immediately. There were sounds from the door way, but no one was close enough to hear what was being said. It was another ten minutes before a resounding '_Protego_' was shouted. In a moment Severus and Filius both jumped into action. Severus strode toward the door while Filius sent a silver streak from his wand and toward the school.

Severus murmured a few incantations and passed the boundary into the girl's dorm. More sounds were heard and a crash or two. When the headmistress and the rest of the professors entered the room, Filius quickly explained before Sophie started to bark out orders.

After turning the students over to the other professors, Sophie quietly walked toward the entrance and became invisible. Hermione added another thing to list of things she needed to investigate later. These might take a bit more priority since a shield charm could help protect herself or friends and to become invisible without the use of a cloak, there were multiple uses for that sort of spell. No one could understand what was taking the professors so long. If a student was in there, how could that person take on four fully trained witches and wizard. '_Incarcerous_' was the next spell heard before the entirety of the second year floor was awash in silence. Finally a shuffling noise was heard and Professor Sprout exited first. The headmistress was next out and motioned for all the students to follow her. She moved the second years to the far corner of the room and erected a number of shields and charms that turned the room blurry. Only after hearing the headmistress say clear, did Professor McGonagall exited with someone on her opposite side. Professor Snape followed closely behind. While the students couldn't see much, they could tell their potion professor was following with his wand drawn.

"Professors, please get your charges and have them immediately go to the hall. We will address this together. Paulo and Mitchell, please act as the heads of your houses until Severus and Minerva are able to join us. I will pick up the first years on the way downstairs." The professors took their orders and too left the dorm. "I will explain everything but I will tell you, your belongings are safe, that is why it took as so long. The student was using your personal items as shields and bolting between the various sleeping quarters. But nothing was damaged."

The students wondered what was going on and dutifully followed their headmistress as she collected the first years and the group made their way toward the hall. They had barely made it to the bottom of the steps before they heard the distinct roar of the rest of the students. Sophie paused and allowed the remainder of the student body to arrive. Now the student body had professors surrounding them. Still standing outside of the hall the headmistress turned toward her students.

"Everyone, when we are in the hall I want you to quickly and quietly find a seat and sit down. There has been an incident in the second year girl's dorm. We will explain but for now go and sit." The students in a surprising move, followed their instructions and within a few minutes were quietly seated watching the front of the room. The seventh years, prefects and head students were at the end of the line with their wands drawn as well. Everyone noticed how well the group worked together. Too bad it took something like an attack by a student for everyone to forget about house rivalries.

Sophie and a few of the professors moved to the front while the remaining professors fanned across the room. It was immediately obvious how the year of uncertainty had affected older students. Without a word to anyone the prefects began to fill in the gaps at the front with the seventh years and head students staying toward the back with half of them turned toward the doors.

The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor watched from his position at the back of the hall pleased with what he say. His students assessed the situation and didn't wait for instruction. They positioned themselves in order to protect each other's back and the rest of the students. He also noticed everyone of the students, while no longer having their wands drawn, were in a stance allowing them to quickly put up shields and volley their own spells.

Sophie watched her students position themselves as a second line of defense and found herself in a quandary. Like her DADA professor she was pleased to see how maturely her oldest students reacted, but at the same time, she was incredibly saddened. Schools shouldn't be a place to create soldiers, but seemingly it was the result for these poor children. "Your attention, I believe no additional protection is required; however, I have no issue with those still standing to remain ready. I am expecting others to arrive shortly but they will come to my office and through this door." Sophie pointed toward a door off to the side of the main table. Those facing the front nodded in understanding. "There was an incident this evening in the second year girl's dorm. The individual directly responsible has been apprehended for questioning and after restraining the student, we found a number of spells had been placed on the student directly. We have informed the Ministry and are waiting to hear what their response. For the benefit of the professors and for me, we are going to have you all remain in the hall until those answers are provided."

With a wave of her hand, the students began to talk quietly to each other trying to figure out what was happening. Sitting behind Harry, Draco, and Hermione was a table of sixth years discussing how their parents reacted to everything since the start of the school year. "Mum said she never thought Hogwarts to be dangerous until this year. She was a unicorn's hair away from keeping me home. When she hears about this, I may get pulled out. I want to know who it was so I know who to blame. I don't want to be homeschooled." The grumbles got a little quieter and the trio looked to each other.

"It's not going to happen Hermione, Mum will make sure we are taught regardless. But I can't see any of the adults allowing whatever happened to happen again. From how Headmistress Mathews phrased it, the student sounds like she had been cursed." Harry's eyebrows shot up.

"How do you know it was a girl?" Harry noticed how careful and deliberate the words the headmistress used to inform the students both in the dorm and again in the hall.

"Has to be, you saw what Severus had to do to enter the girl's dorm. It seems Mum's charms are strong enough to repel even the professors until they counter it." Intrigued with the mention of Narcissa, Draco nodded to answer the unspoken question. "She had heard rumors while in school about Gryffindor and how the girls could access the boys rooms. Being my mum, she didn't like that and made sure before the layouts were finished for us, they included charms to prohibit access to the dorm rooms by someone of a different gender. It's not some simple overlay which is why, I assume, Severus had to take his time before entering."

Hermione cocked her head to the side and agreed she could see Narcissa doing something like that. "I'm wondering about Lucius. Was he upset about Godric not charming the boy's dorm or was he jealous when Narcissa couldn't visit him?" Hermione barely made it through her question before giggling. Draco shuddered thinking about it before he shrugged and started to laugh himself.

"Well, we could ask him. Look." Harry was subtly pointing to the door by the head table and watched as Lucius stepped out quickly with a few aurors. The blond wizard spoke quickly and quietly to the headmistress. It was only after she gasped did she motion for Professors Sprout and Flitwick. Both had expressions of shock and horror before Professor Sprout ran through the door.

While all this was going on, the students began to try and work out who was missing. It didn't take long for the older years to verifying all their counterparts were present. Hermione began to look around to see if anyone was missing from her house. She counted and knew all the Gryffindor second years were present. She thought Slytherin was present but had Draco verify. She also asked Theo and Neville to check their houses. Theo said everyone was in the hall so all attention turned to Neville.

"We are short one girl." Neville's eyes were looking at each person in the hall, trying to find his missing housemate. It was only when older students noticed Neville, they realized it was a Hufflepuff. The seventh year closet to where Neville and the rest of his friends were seated happened to be a Hufflepuff. The older wizard gently set his hand on Neville's shoulder and simply asked who it was. "Hannah, Hannah is missing."

Hermione gasped and Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione. Hannah Abbott was one of the people Hermione considered a close friend and knowing Hannah would never hurt anyone Hermione was silent but shaking. The seventh year nodded solemnly and retook his position. His eyes began to gaze around the room before he too agreed the only missing Hufflepuff was the Abbott heiress. It didn't take long for the information to spread across the room and for the students to quiet once more. Most were shocked since the girl was known to be the sweetest witch in the school.

Lucius watched the interplay between a very pale Neville and the older student. He assumed Neville had figured out who was missing and Hermione's reaction confirmed it. Mentioning to Sophie the students knew who was responsible, Lucius requested the Headmistress to say nothing more since there were still unanswered questions. The aurors were beginning their investigation as the girl was not acting like herself. Lucius was suspicious and mentioned the fact to the first auror on site, who after realizing the suspect was the young Abbott refused to allow anyone else to touch the girl.

When Lucius returned to the room off the hall, he found two additional aurors and a third man waving their wands at the girl. Hannah, who had never said darn or shucks, was cursing a blue streak at the men and swearing revenge. The third man suddenly paused his movements and stuck his arm out to the others. "Who apprehended the girl?" The wizard's eyes warily looked from the young girl to the professors still stationed in the room.

"Do you mean magically or physically?" McGonagall responded, she was beginning to fear there was something more at play than just a cursed student and the response confirmed her suspicions.

"Both Professor McGonagall, I believe you've already given your statements but please provide me with the condensed version of who sent what spell and how was she transported into the office." The man, who everyone in the room now assumed was an unspeakable, stated in a clear voice.

"Severus was able to get behind Hannah. The spells she had been casting were above what a second year should know and we were trying to make sure we didn't hurt her or the belongings of the other students. Severus was able to get a quick stunner on her then captured her with an incarcerous spell before the petrificus totalus. Once she was contained, Severus cast a locomotor charm and I led her out of the dorm and here."

The unspeakable rubbed his eyes before looking at the professors. "I believe you suspect she had been hit with an imperious curse and to an extent I concur. This is a variation we've been seeing for the last month or so. It's twisted so the person who captures the victim must be the one who removes it. If not, the victim will not recover." There was a stunned silence from those not aware, both professors were shocked to their core. Who would inflict such a curse on a child and one as innocent as Hannah Abbott?

The unspeakable, who knew what his words would do, paused only long enough for the information to sink in before continuing. "In fact, we are very lucky only Minerva has physically touched her. We've found the same result if someone other than the captor touches the victim. This is the first evidenced case where we've had two individuals involved in the apprehension, which makes this a bit more complicated than the other cases we've encountered so far."

As the conversation continued, Hannah felt the incarcerous spell beginning to fade and tested it with a wiggle of her fingers, a sly grin passed her lips. Severus while attentively listening to the conversation kept constant vigilance on the girl and sent a reenforcement spell just after the finger wiggle. The girl hissed and began to curse at the adults again. "What do we need to do to remove this spell? Hannah does not seem to be coming out of it herself." Again the unspeakable nodded.

"No, we've found it to be a very powerful spell not requiring reinforced. Our investigation into the caster is unway. Since the girl is still under the curse, I believe we can run some diagnostic spells. Those results should point us in the correct direction but I can't run those spells without fear of harming her. Professor Snape, I would appreciate your assistance with this task. I will also ask for a vow you will not share or relay the spells you will be using. They are, uh, secrets of the profession, if you will." Severus removed his wand and completed the oath exactly as the unspeakable requested.

Severus was handed a sheet of parchment and began to run diagnostic spell after diagnostic spell. He felt the magic's power as it poured through his wand. It took the man a good hour to get all the spells cast and then another hour before the results were final. After reading the unspeakable nodded and sent his patronus out the window.

"As I suspected, now the difficult part will be to get the girl to the Ministry. I will again need the assistance of both professors. Professor Snape, I will need you to create a portkey; however, the spell used for this is a modified version that allows for the destination to be my office. It's protected, as you can imagine. I'll provide you with the spell and coordinates momentarily. Professor McGonagall, I will need you to travel with the girl to my office. Once there we have a method of containing the victim so they are not harmed either in routing them to St. Mungos or by interactions with other witches and wizards." The professors nodded solemnly and hoped Hannah's result would be more positive than the others vaguely alluded to by the unspeakable.

Severus was handed a piece of parchment with a spell and coordinates, it would serve as the portkey. The spell was truly just a slight variation in movement of the portus spell, ingenious really. Once the portkey was ready, Severus reset the binding spells.

"Minerva I am going to floo over first." The unspeakable, beckoned the professor to his side and whispered additional instructions to the stern transfiguration professor. The surprise at the request was quickly quelled as she agreed before the unspeakable left the office.

"Severus, please let Sophie know and I will return as soon as I am able." Minerva set the parchment on Hannah's hand and grasped the corner of it as the pair spun away. Severus, Lucius and two aurors were now the only individuals in the office and even more confused than before.

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	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: So today we get to meet a newish character who will continue to pop up throughout the next couple of school years. Hope you all enjoy "seeing" him again. And this is the smiley happy version, no brooding moods or self loathing here.**_

_**For those who celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, hope you've worked through the turkey hangover and survived Black Friday. I happily remained at home and avoided the crowds. **_

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The students stay in the Great Hall was quite short and soon they were released to their dorms. The day after the event the Hufflepuff house had a meeting and their new seeker, a fifth year wizard, reminded the house they are loyal and determined, dedicated and patient. Whatever happened to Hannah would surely be remedied and when it was, she would come back into the embrace of her house and friends. She would need to work hard to get caught up, but they would all help her.

After the meeting and Cedric Diggory's impassioned speech, the others in the house began to view the wizard not only as a good friend and housemate, but also as their house leader. The ability to lead couldn't really be given, it's something that is in the heart of those who lead successfully. The members of the quidditch team who would still be in school next year, had already voted and earmarked him as their next captain. The current captain had taken Cedric under his wing in preparation for the role and responsibility of captain.

It didn't take long before the entire school identified who was missing and it came as a shock. It was difficult to believe the quiet Hufflepuff witch would have done something like that and the house in question came together as never before and worked to support each other during the confusing time. When Neville relayed the meeting to his friends, they were also in support of the Hufflepuff House and agreed to help Hannah in every way they could.

A week after Hannah was escorted away, the second years were studying in the Great Hall when Cedric brought over a chair to their table and sat himself between Harry and Neville. He wanted to thank them for their plan to support Hannah and provided each with a little token of his appreciation. Each received an oval shaped pin. The design of the pin was quite nice with a badger was laying along the top edge and 'Hannah's Helpers' on the bottom. To personalize each pin, Cedric had added the individual names and their house banner in the middle. The final bit is what Hermione found the most interesting, every so often the their names and house banner would fade and be replaced with a picture of a smiling Hannah.

"Cedric did you charm these?" Hermione's eyes still hadn't left the lovely pin and the amazing amount of detail each one held. The fifth year, who seemed a touch nervous at the question, nodded and was surprised when Hermione got up to hug him. "They are lovely, Hannah will adore what you've done for her." When she leaned in for a second hug, Cedric wasn't as surprised and wrapped his arms around the second year. Hermione, still so enamored with the pin, didn't notice Cedric's blush or the look Draco was giving the older wizard.

After releasing Cedric, Hermione returned to her seat, still inspecting the pin. The older wizard nodded to the rest of the table and stood to leave. "Just thanks again, I think she is going to run into some resistance when she returns and we, her friends, need to be here for her." Cedric's gaze passed over each second year before he smiled and turned to leave.

Hermione had already placed the pin on her robe and looked to see her friends with various expressions on their faces. The girls were all a little dazed and focused on watching Cedric leave. Once he was gone, each turned to Hermione with a bit of jealousy on their faces. It was Daphne who spoke for the rest of the girls. "We will be talking about that later Hermione Jean Granger. And we will be wanting every detail." After her statement she turned her gaze back to the door hoping he'd come back and maybe hug the rest of them.

While the girls were focused on the door, Hermione looked to the boys, who with the exception of Draco, had a look of utter confusion. Harry leaned over and whispered to Hermione, not wanting anyone to hear. "What's up with the rest of the girls? It's like they got to meet Viktor Krum or something." The only reason Hermione even knew Viktor Krum's name was the boys talking non-stop about the guy over the last few months.

"Not entirely sure, but um, Cedric is on the list." Hermione shrugged and turned back to her notes as Harry looked to Draco. Both had heard her and were even more confused since that didn't really answer the question. Draco decided he needed to know what was going on.

"The list Hermione? What is that?" Hermione looked to Draco and Harry with wide eyes as she blinked slowly, trying to look as innocent as possible. Neither boy fell for it as they had used that technique since the first time they drew mustaches on the older portraits as five year olds. "Not going to work. Just tell us, please?" When Draco pulled the same move on Hermione she crumbled.

"Fine, but not here. Let's go to our common room." No one noticed them leaving the Hall and as they began to climb the stairs, Hermione noticed Cedric and few Hufflepuffs talking. She waved and he reciprocated with a smile. Hermione may have blushed before returning her focus to the steps. Draco was not amused.

Once the in the room, Hermione sat in the corner and remained quiet. Harry sighed. "Hermione?"

"Fine, fine. Yes. You see we have a list of the boys that are cute. Cedric's pretty high on the list and Daphne's comment, at least I think, is for me to provide…hmm…details on the hug." Hermione nodded thinking that should suffice for the boys. Draco just raised an eyebrow and mouthed '_details'_. "Umm, to detail how he felt when I hugged him. You know his muscles, what he smelled like, how his arms felt when he hugged me, you know details?" Draco blinked in surprise.

"Do you like him Hermione?" It was Hermione's turn to be surprised and at a loss for words. Draco took her delay as a confirmation and excused himself. He didn't know why he was upset about it, he only knew he was. They hadn't been given permission to fly, but they hadn't been told not to either. Without thinking, Draco grabbed his heavier cloak, broom and left. Hermione sat stunned as he walked away and she didn't recover until he was gone.

"Harry? What's wrong? What did I do?" She played with her bracelet, it hadn't really been noticed by too many other students since her sleeves were long and had a tendency to cover it. Harry knew what Draco's problem was, but didn't think his friends realized how much they liked each other. Hermione would always be his sister and Draco his brother, and Harry loved the idea of them always being a trio.

"I think Draco is a little jealous. You hugged another wizard." His fingers grazed over the bracelet and Hermione gasped realizing how it must have looked. She was just so thrilled with the pin and the belief Hannah would be back soon, she hadn't thought and just hugged Cedric. Hugs were what she did, Draco should know that by now. She hugged Draco the most of anyone. "I can go get him, I think you two need to talk." Hermione quietly pulled her knees to her chest as Harry left and thought about what she had done. The most difficult thoughts were thinking what she had done to Draco, how it was her fault, and if he could forgive her.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

As soon as Draco was out the main door, he was on his broom getting as high as he could as quickly as his broom would go. In the open of the air, Draco was able to relax. This had always been how he calmed himself or let go of stresses. Why was this bothering him? Cedric Diggory wasn't a threat. At least he wasn't until Hermione was so happy to see what he'd done. And then she gave him two hugs, the second of which he returned and may have squeezed the witch a bit too tightly.

That just angered the blond more and he took to flying more aggressively. Slowly he came back to himself. He was upset because while Hermione wore his bracelet, she still hugged Diggory. She wouldn't appreciate the possessive nature of Draco's thoughts, but he couldn't let go of the idea. She was wearing Draco's pledge on her wrist, which was always covered, but was proudly displaying the simple pin Diggory had given her.

"Ugh." He was screaming at himself as he went through every drill and technique he could going faster and faster. The pin was being proudly displayed on her robe, his gift was hidden. _Hidden_. It hadn't bothered him before. Before, it was easy. Now he didn't know what to do.

Looking up, he hadn't realized just how far he'd traveled from the school when his gazed focused on what was in front of him. He began to laugh. "No wonder Father wouldn't tell us where the school was. At least I know where the pitch will be."

Draco sat quietly for a few before slowly turning his broom toward the school, only then did he see Harry barreling toward him. Knowing he needed to talk to someone, Draco figured Harry would be the first person and his Father the next. "Before you start Harry, I think I'm jealous and I need to speak with you and Father about how to handle it. Before any of that, does anything here look familiar?"

Harry looked around and laughed as well. "At least we know where the pitch is now." Lucius had mentioned in one of his early letters he planned to build a pitch on some unused property on the back side of the estate. The boys, not realizing the school was on Malfoy land, thought the idea was great. Since they had learned to fly, they lamented how there wasn't a pitch on the Malfoy grounds given how much land was actually available. Now the pair were looking forward to using it when they were home over the holidays.

The boys flew back to the school and made their way toward the steps when Draco stopped Harry. "I think I need to speak with Father before I talk to Hermione. Would you tell her I'll come find her before dinner? Also, that I'm not really mad, just, I don't know. Just don't tell her I am or was, no I am jealous." Harry partially agreed, not that Draco realized it, since he'd already told the witch Draco was jealous, there wasn't anything he could do on that front.

"Fine, but hurry, I think Hermione is going to be inside out the longer you are away. Yeah?" Draco agreed before handing Harry his broom and heading toward his godfather's room.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Draco sighed in relief when Severus opened his door and allowed the blond wizard to enter. "Uncle Sev, I need to speak with my dad. It's important." Severus looked to the boy and tried to assess what was going on. In most cases Draco would never use those familiar phrases for either of the wizards outside of the Manor, but this didn't seem to be normal.

"Important like there is a snake roaming the halls looking to attack people or another type of important." The boy looked positively green around the gills and Severus was beginning to work up an answer. The absence of Harry and Hermione only reinforced his conclusion.

"The other type of important Uncle Sev. Is dad available?" Draco was beginning to sound desperate and the potion master, who rarely showed emotion for others, found it difficult to not console his godson.

"I believe he is. Let me check. Would you like me to come along?" Draco shook his head and mumbled something about having to do this on his own. Severus chuckled internally. Yes, the boy had come to some realization and it was probably related to the young witch who was currently missing from his side. Having had Draco settle on a chair with a cup of tea, the boy looked like he was about to pass out, Severus made his way to the floo.

"Hello Narcissa, I have Draco here and he would like to speak with Lucius. Is that old fop available?" Severus heard the muttered response and Narcissa's giggle before the fop in question placed his head next to Narcissa.

"Really Severus? I'm…". Severus waved him off while Narcissa put her hand over Lucius's mouth.

"Draco's here and something tells me the boy came to a surprising conclusion about Miss Granger and would like to speak with his Dad about it." Lucius's face was a bit shocked and Narcissa's eyes gleamed with tears. "If that is what this is about, I believe I won the bet." Narcissa's laugh broke Lucious form his trance.

"Send him through, let Sophie know, but since it's the weekend she shouldn't have any problems with it. You are the head of Slytherin after all."

"I'll send him straight through, so you might want to stand to the side." Narcissa, who was still giggling quietly was out the floo first, but Lucius remained. "He's a bit dazed and looks like he's about to fall over Lucius. I think whatever happened was unexpected and he isn't dealing. I'll get Harry and see what he can tell me."

"Thank you my friend. I'll send him back before dinner, he's probably made a mess of things." Severus nodded in agreement having known the boy never took surprises very well.

"Draco, come on your Father is waiting for you." The boy walked to the floo and called out for Malfoy Manor. After spinning away, Severus went to find Harry Potter knowing Draco wouldn't return for a good while.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Harry was settled next to Hermione on a couch and the pair were quietly speaking when Severus walked into the second year common room. Seeing Hermione looking so nervous and how quickly she looked to see who entered, Severus only found more credence for his theory. At first he was just going to take Harry so they could talk, but one look at Hermione, Severus knew Harry wouldn't leave her anytime soon.

"I'd like to speak to Harry. Hermione would you mind if I cast the muffliato so Harry can stay next to you but you can't hear the conversation." She shifted a bit until the charm was done and she was back next to Harry. While her friend and professor spoke she allowed her mind to wonder.

"Hermione?" To prove to Harry Hermione wouldn't be able to hear Severus called out the witch's name and when the witch didn't even twitch he nodded to Harry to start.

"So we were all studying in the hall when Cedric Diggory came and sat with us. He wanted to thank us in our support of Hannah and gave us pins." Harry pulled his from his pockets and handed it to Severus. "Hermione, of course, was completely gobsmacked with the charms on it. She immediately put the pin on, you see she still has it on, and then hugged Diggory. Twice. The second time he hugged back. I was surprised and Draco was jealous. Then it only got worse."  
Severus looked to Hermione who now had a worried looking Crookshanks on her lap. But her expression seemed to be utterly depressed.

"After Diggory left she mentioned how the girls in our class had a list of cute boys and that Cedric was pretty high on the list. As we were on our way up here, Cedric waved at her on the steps and she returned the gesture with a smile and a slight blush. Draco left. He just couldn't handle it. She doesn't know, or I should say didn't know. I told her Draco was jealous and that surprised her."

"Did he tell you all this?"

"Yes, I found him flying. By the way, when were you going to mention we are still on Malfoy property?" Severus shook his head and Harry took the meaning as this wasn't the time. "Yes so on the way back we spoke a little and then he went to speak to Lucius."

"What is his biggest problem?" Severus looked to the pin on the witch's robe and where he knew the bracelet was, hidden under her shirt.

"The bracelet, he didn't realize or think about others not knowing about it. I mean some of the girls know, but really only our friends. I haven't heard anyone else talking about it. While he knows the pin isn't a courting gift, since we all got one, he is upset that it appears Hermione wants to keep their relationship hidden."

Severus sighed before commenting. "You know I never wanted to have children for this reason and then I agreed to be a professor. You lot are going to make me suffer until you graduate aren't you?"

Severus cancelled the spell in time for Hermione to hear Harry's response. "Yup and you love it." Severus shook his head in amusement and stood to leave.

"Harry, one more thing, please don't mention _anything_ we said." Harry nodded and leaned his head toward Hermione. "Fine but no one else, understand?" Harry knew the tone and if he told anyone where the school was he'd be cleaning cauldrons until after he graduated.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

When Severus left, Harry reached his arm over Hermione's shoulder and hugged her. "It will be alright, I promise. He will find us before dinner, he promised and since Severus was here you know Draco went to see him." Hermione sniffled and nodded her head. Crooks continued to purr as she stroked the cat before she finally fell asleep.

Harry looked to his sister and smiled before turning to her familiar. "Looks like you aren't getting rid of Draco anytime soon. Not that he or I were really going anywhere anyway." He scratched behind the cat's ears and under his chin before allowing himself to nod off as well.

Crooks remained on his witch's lap and watched the room. His witch was upset and needed him. He wondered where the light haired wizard was. He always had a way to make the witch happy. Crooks adjusted himself and set guard over his temporary charges.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

It took Draco almost an hour to relay the story to Lucius. He paused trying to articulate his feelings before finally admitting he thought Hermione didn't want others to know about the bracelet. Lucius had quite a bit of sympathy for his son. Narcissa proudly displayed her first courting gift, but they had been older and it had been expected.

Sitting in silence, Lucius smiled at Draco, in order for the boy to know he was still thinking of a response. "I think you both are still a bit young and the sudden onslaught of emotions was too much for you. When you asked to give her something, I knew you had feelings for her. But I also knew you weren't ready to fully understand what your desired gift would mean, at least not yet. And that was fine, but I also suspected as soon as something happened you'd be overwhelmed."

Draco's eyes dropped to the carpet when he realized how perfectly his father had read him. How much of his actions he had missed. "Do you think she wants to be with me or explore her options? I'm not sure I can handle it, but will figure it out if that's what she wants." Draco's stomach was churning and it felt like his heart was constricting tightly.

"No, I don't believe at all that is what she wants. But you need to ask her. You also need to tell her how you feel in a calm manner. Having her around so often, I believe she too will be emotional. Remember she is a Gryffindor. There is going to be some hurt from when you left, sadness you left without explaining, and finally when she realizes it was her action, or inaction, with regard to the bracelet causing you to doubt her and the reason for all the hurt the feelings, she will be very upset. You'll both have to be open with the other."

"You're right Father. I need to go back." Lucius was quite proud of himself and how he handled his first real wizard to wizard conversation. He knew Narcissa would be incredibly pleased with him. Eventually he would explain to his son how the path to happiness really was ensuring the witch you loved was happy.

Lucius stood and clasped his hand on Draco's shoulder. "I'm proud of you Draco. You need to have courage in yourself and be able to communicate them with others. I'll be here to help whenever you need it son." Draco hugged his father before stepping into the floo.

"When will the pitch be finished? I'll come over if it needs a test run before you tell everyone else." With a cocky smile the boy threw the powder down and called out for Severus's office. Lucius chuckled and went to speak with Narcissa and relay his amazing parenting skills. Maybe she'd reward him in her own special way.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

When Draco stepped into his godfather's office, he found the man hadn't moved while he was gone. "Thank you Professor Snape, that was just what I needed. I have to go and discuss a few things with my friends." Severus was pleased at how much better the boy looked.

"They are probably still in your common room. If you'd like some privacy, I've arranged with Sophie for you three to be allowed some time in my room alone. It's a privilege and while I believe you deserve it, the more important thing is to give you the privacy you'll need to explain everything." Draco sagged in relief, he had been trying to figure out a place where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Thank you Uncle, I'll go and get them." Draco quickly turned and left with the mission to find Hermione and probably Harry as well. When he reached the common room he found the pair passed out on the couch with Crooks acting like a sentry. "Hey Crooks, I need to wake Hermione and Harry. We have to talk."

The cat looked to the light haired wizard and sighed in relief he had finally showed up. The kneazle would have to figure out a way to teach the young wizard when he needed to be with their witch. Crooks had come to the conclusion long before now the two wizards were part of the package with his witch. After getting a scratch or two from Draco, Crooks jumped from Hermione's lap and went to investigate a scent he had picked up a bit earlier.

Watching the cat saunter away Draco laughed to himself as he started to wake the pair. When Hermione finally awoke she immediately caught Draco in a hug and began to mumble her apologies. "Hermione, I need to apologize to you, but not here. Let's get Harry up and we can head to Severus's room."

Harry, who had already started to come around, rubbed his eyes as he stood. "No need, I'm awake. Are you sure you want me there?" Draco thought for a minute before offering Harry the option. "I don't think I'm really needed for this. I want the both of you to promise that you will allow the other to finish before you barrel in with what you want to say. Agree?" When his friends agreed, Harry stretched and made his way toward the boy's dorms. "Come get me for dinner, yeah?" He didn't want for them to respond and the pair made their way toward the professor's floor.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Draco settled Hermione on the chair and stood in front of the floo. "Hermione I need to go first. I suspect Harry has told you more than he needed to, but it's probably for the best." Draco knew his pacing wouldn't put either at ease and sat on the couch opposite of Hermione before he began speaking. This time the story flowed more easily and he was able to explain his feelings on the whole thing much more easily.

When he finished he looked at the witch for the first time and realized Lucius had been correct again. Every emotion his father mentioned played across her face. It was only when she started to cry that Draco jumped up to hug her.

"It's my fault. I mean, I give hugs, it's what I do. I didn't think about how it would look." Hermione had to stop speaking for a moment because of her emotions. When she pulled a little away, Draco handed her a handkerchief with a little smile. "I'm sorry. I remember what mum said right after you gave me the bracelet. She asked me how I would feel if a you danced with another girl or you gave her a bracelet like mine. I had to admit I'd be jealous. I never thought you'd have to worry about that from someone like me."

Draco was a bit stunned at her admission. "What do you mean when you said someone like you? You know I love your family and enjoy all the muggle stuff we do." Hermione shook her head.

"No, it's not that. It's just, I'm so plain. You are and are going to continue to be an attractive wizard, especially if Lucius and Narcissa are anything to go by. You could have any witch you wanted."

Draco thought back on the discussion with his parents and realized Hermione and Narcissa were more similar than he initially thought. He'd have to get some suggestions from his father on how to make Hermione believe in herself or at least believe him. "I'm not sure how I'll do it yet, but I will get you to believe your are far from plain Hermione Jean Granger. You're incredibly special to me and whether you accept that or not, it's the truth." Draco looked at her with an intense stare and she gazed back longingly, she really wanted to believe him. Instead of agreeing or continuing to try and make her point, she decided caution was the better part of valor in this instance.

"You know we are going to have fights in the future, do you think we could talk about it before running off?"

"I'd love to tell you yes, but I am not sure I can do it yet. I refuse to make a promise to you I cannot uphold. Since I was a boy, when the emotions got to much, I would leave in order to calm myself. That way I'm sure I won't say anything I can't take back. Especially with you, but I will do my best to learn how to handle my reactions, emotional response and desire to flee first."

Hugging Draco tightly Hermione whispered to him. "The hugs I give you are different from every other hug I give. I can't explain it, but they are. They mean more to me." Draco nodded in her hair hoping she was telling him the truth. "I'll start rolling my sleeves a bit and let Daphne know it's ok to spill the beans about my bracelet. I do want it known, I don't want someone to think there are feelings when there aren't, or they are more than friendly."  
"Thank you Hermione, thank you." Draco squeezed a little tighter not realizing just how much those final words had effected him.

Severus returned a few minutes later and saw the pair sitting on the couch while Hermione was wiping the last of her tears away. "I assume all is right again?" Nodding they left the room to find their friends before dinner. "Teenagers will be the death of me."

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Draco's worries had calmed by dinner after the discussion with Hermione. Just as Hermione had promised, she rolled her sleeves a touch more and given Daphne the ok. Daphne's reaction was amazing, if Draco hadn't known better, he would have sworn the witch hadn't known about the bracelet for weeks.

As she pulled Hermione closer to investigate the charms, she would loudly asked about each one and their meaning. Hermione demurred on telling Daphne, and the rest of the school, the reasons Draco had told her explaining it was too personal. Daphne winked before letting out a frustrated sigh. And continued to go on and on about how she was the first girl in their year to get a gift of jewelry from a wizard. Hermione was a bit uncomfortable with all the attention, but she knew it was necessary. Draco's comfort was primary now for her.

Draco hadn't been paying too much attention to the girls as he tracked the rumor as it made its way around the tables. When it hit the table where Diggory sat, the older wizard looked up with a bit of dismay and nodded to acknowledge Draco. With a swift nod in return, the pair had an agreement of sorts.

In reality Cedric acknowledged what the gift represented and opted to not proceed with his plans to court the girl. Cedric was a bit dismayed at the notion since Hermione had seemed to excited and hugged him. Twice. Sighing he looked around his table before noticing a table filled with fifth year Ravenclaws. Sicily Ollivander was his partner in Potions and he genuinely enjoyed talking with her, but hadn't thought much more on it. After the hugs, he realized he did want something or someone more in his life. He had resigned himself to not date until Hermione was older, at least a fourth year, but now she was totally off the table. Sicily, on the other side of the wand, was his age and he realized how cute she was. Giving her a sheepish smile, the witch blushed a lovely shade of pink. Cedric decided to work up the nerve to ask about the next Hogsmeade weekend and if she'd walk with him.

The commotion over Hermione's bracelet was intense for about a week until the Sunday after Hogsmeade and the news broke on the relationship between Diggory and the Ollivander daughter. Draco was more than pleased to see how it worked out. Now all he and Harry needed to do was get every other wizard matched up. Well, a wizard could dream, now everyone knew about his gift and her acceptance, their mutual claims had been staked.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

February's chill wasn't as bad in the new buildings and the students found themselves not having to bundle up for their classes in more than a jumper over their oxfords and tights for the girls. It was a marked improvement the children were happy to mention.

Draco's attention turned toward the upcoming faux-holiday, as Hermione termed it, and his plans to make this year better than the last. Draco mentioned his idea to Harry and Daphne. The pair agreed with Draco and thought it would be and excellent way to celebrate this year. The three discussed with their respective house heads. Severus merely rolled his eyes before asking Daphne and Draco about their studies. Both commented on being ahead in order to help with the proposed party. When he waved his hand in acquiescence and the two Slytherins left before he changed his mind.

Professor McGonagall was a bit more difficult. First her responsibilities were overwhelming, when one really thought about them. Not only did they include teaching her classes, being head of Gryffindor, and her duties as the Deputy Head; she also assisted the headmistress, her teaching partner still frozen in a special wing of St. Mungo's, and the keeping abreast on the search of Hogwarts for the beast was still drawing no leads, the idea of adding something else was not on her list of good ideas. It was only when Sophie heard, it gained a bit more traction. After relieving Minerva from having to be in charge, Sophie and second years discussed what they wanted in greater detail.

The Headmistress addressed the students over dinner that evening and announced a school wide celebration for Valentine's Day would occur the evening of the fourteenth. Stating it would not be a formal dance but a gathering with food, music and cheer, all years were invited to attend.

The fourteenth rolled around quickly, the elves took to the idea offering to prepare food and decorate the Hall, making it an even more relaxing event. When the party started, Draco and Hermione danced together and confirmed the rumors after the Malfoy New Years ball. Many had wondered if the pair danced as well as the stories claimed, by the end of the night there was no doubt.

Harry and Daphne, in a bid to not deal with others, attended together. There were a few surprised looks, some astonished glances and a few glares. The glares seemed to be from those who wished to be on the arm of Harry or have Daphne on their arm. Neither Harry nor Daphne paid the looks any heed and selected a table to continue their previous discussion if yoga could be an asset for quidditch players. Daphne was of the mind the more limber the flyer, the more ways they could easily move to catch, throw or hit. Harry was undecided to but listened to Daphne's points.

As the evening drew to a close, the group of second years met and made a toast. Hannah, who was still gone and very little information had provided on her well being, was on all their minds as they toasted each other.

When Hermione got to her bed, she found a present on her pillow. Her fingers brushed over the card attached and she smiled. The stationary Draco used was quite distinctive. She smiled a bit wider after reading the note and set it to the side. She opened the box to find not one but two presents. The first was a slim piece of metal with a small tassel at the top. On further inspection Hermione realized it was a bookmark specially designed to not hurt the binding of the book. The front was etched with a landscaped picture of a girl laying under a tree reading a book. The back simply included the date and instructions to use the bookmark since it was indestructible. Hermione giggled as she opened the second small box. This was something she expected, a small charm fell into her hand and she admired the detail. The small cupid floated on a cloud while shooting arrows before giggling and starting over. Finding the perfect spot, the charm attached itself easily and Hermione slid the third note into her book and held it tightly to her chest.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While the dramas of teenagers were playing out at the school, the unspeakables were working on reversing the imperious curse and keeping the young witch alive. When she arrived at his office, the unspeakable in charge placed Hannah in a bubble protecting her from both magic and physical touches, but still allow healers to sedate her. Once the first potion was ingested the girl fell into a coma-like sleep. A stasis potion was administered next keeping the girl in a stable and unchanging condition. More importantly, the potion stopped the curse from advancing any further.

What the unspeakable hadn't mentioned to those at Hogwarts was how the curse, if not reversed, would begin to damage the individual to the point where the internal damage was so severe it could not be repaired. The curse, which had started it's malevolent march prior to her capture, was stopped and gave the unspeakables time to continue their investigation.

Everyone hoped once the curse was removed, the girl would be assessed to determine how to remediate what damage had happened, to safely bring her out of her coma and cancel the stasis spell in order for her to live again. It had taken weeks to analyze the results from the diagnostic spells run the first night and a few additional weeks to determine theories based on the analysis results. As February ended, it was believed a breakthrough was on the horizon. Field agents began researching the most likely lead, while the healer assigned to the girl kept continual watch on her vitals and brain activity.

It didn't surprise the unspeakable when the curse's origin matched the other known cases. Incidents started to appear just after the New Year in northern Europe. The unspeakable worried how quickly the curse migrated from Denmark to England and how no other instances had been discovered since the Abbott heiress. The largest worry was when someone had the opportunity to place the curse. As with a few other unanswered questions, this would remain unknown for some time to come.

In addition to confirming the curse was placed by the same person, the magical analysis provided additional detail on the individual placing the curses. The report indicated the individual was extremely powerful but whose magic was incredibly weak. There were also questions on the wand being used. It seemed as if the wand struggling against the curse and therefor person casting. The only conclusion to draw was the wand used didn't belong to the caster.

Once the final report had been written, it was sent to the heads of the Department of Mysteries and the DMLE. The unspeakable couldn't promise the proposed cure would work, but the girl's parents had eventually agreed to try. In reality they had already lost their daughter because of the curse and if there was a chance, no matter how slim, they were willing to take it.

The report detailed the proposed cure and indicated it was quite complicated, as these things usual are. It consisted of a potion, multiple spells and a specific number of plants, their leaves and flowers to be draped over the victim. It would take a potion master at least a month to brew the potion before it aged for another six weeks. The issues wasn't the potion, it would be finding the necessary ingredients and the plants required, that alone could take years of work.

Amelia Bones read the report and when she got to the proposed cure she was surprised at the plants mentioned. Once she'd confirmed her intuition, the only other thing she needed was a potion master skilled enough to bottle fame, brew glory and put a stopper on death.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

_**A/N 2: I thought it would be nice to give Cedric a bit more of a backstory and bring him into the plot well before year 4. And poor Hannah.**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: *waves***_

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The professors decided to withhold information on Hannah, no updates had been provided by the DMLE so there wasn't much to say. Additionally, whoever placed the curse was still at large and if they discovered the aurors determined a way to remove the curse, it could place even more people in danger. No, it was better for everything to play out quietly. Plus, if it did go wrong, they didn't want to give the children false hope.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

March spend by as if on the wings of a bird and near the end of the month the student visited the recently completely pitch. Even though it was closer to the Manor, none of the students, save three of the second years, noticed the roof line of the large home. While it wasn't a full stadium, it still had enough seating for all students, professors and extra for visitors. Again, unknown to the majority of the students, Narcissa put her foot down when Lucius suggested making it a proper stadium with boxes, stalls, sound system and magical lights for games at night. Even the eight boys, (Draco, Harry, Blaise, Neville, Theo, Lucius, Regulus and Rich) giving their best puppy dog eyes did not move the witch. She eventually gave in on one thing and allowed for lights to be added with the caveat they would not be bright enough to see while in the Manor. Knowing this was much as they were going to get right now, the wizards (and one muggle) thanked Narcissa and went back to plotting on to get their other design elements added later.

With the pitch ready, the quidditch season started with the first game between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. In a surprising well planned game, the 'Puffs won easily. It seemed the badgers had taken Hannah as their mascot of sorts and dedicated the year to her and the rest of the student body found it difficult to not cheer for them, she was a worthy cause. Harry and Draco both spent more than enough time focused on the silly sport forcing Hermione to implement a rule requiring the boys to talk about anything other than quidditch with her. The boys grudgingly agreed and found the time they spent with Hermione more relaxing if they weren't talking about their favorite sport.

When Gryffindor and Slytherin played their first game the weekend after the Hufflepuff/Ravenclaw match, Hermione found herself in a similar position to the year before, except this time both of the boys were playing on the older house team and this year apparently had more meaning. She and one best friend were in Gryffindor while her two other best friends were Slytherin. At this thought she complained how the house system made cheering for friends difficult. Those around just laughed and in the end, she decided to cheer for both teams to the best of her ability. Even Neville laughed at the pronouncement and patted her shoulder with a knowing look.

The boys had both been upgraded in January once quidditch practice resumed. Draco's promotion was due to the two seekers in front of him not being able to play. The first team seeker returned from the Yule break with a broken hand that wouldn't be completely healed before the season ended. Apparently his baby sister had a bout of accidental magic and Terrence's hand was in the wrong place at exactly the wrong moment. Hermione didn't ask for any more details. The second team seeker, Stephen, had been really stepping up to the new role until he was caught in a potions mishap. Professor Snape was still working on the cure, at least Stephen had stopped transforming into a Welsh corgi whenever someone coughed. Just after Valentine's Day, Draco was told he would be the Slytherin seeker for the remainder of the year.

Harry's move from bench to fully time player had not been as exciting. The seeker from the prior year, Curtis, ended up not playing this year. In his seventh year, he knew he wasn't going to play professionally and wanted to focus on his NEWTS. He had been offered a prodigious internship and when it was over an immediate entry into a double mastery program. After five years he would be a certified healer. Hermione was the first to start asking questions about his plans. After her excitement seeped into a few other students, Oliver found himself not wanting Curtis to return. If he was so focused on his classes, he wouldn't be wholly invested in the game. Oliver only wanted those who wanted to be there. Since none of the others compared to the potential Oliver saw in Harry, the second year ended up being the only option.

In the end, even if Hermione wouldn't admit it, she was being asked to decide which of her best friends was more important. That was something the young witch refused to do. So she did her best to split her focus between both of the boys evenly. If asked, Neville may mention Hermione seemed to be a bit louder when Draco did something. But he would never mention it.

While everyone was waiting for the two teams to emerge and start the game, Hermione took advantage of the time to catch up a bit with Neville. Because of everything going on since they had returned, she hadn't spent as much time with her shy friend. She was happy to hear the mandrakes were doing really well and some had been harvested in preparation for the potion. It was then Hermione realized why Neville seemed more relaxed in the last couple of weeks, his father was expected to be home by the end of the spring holidays. Hermione hugged Neville and told him how happy she was for him. As they continued to catch up, Madam Hooch called for the everyone's attention and released the balls into the air.

This year's game last a bit longer than the prior year's offering, the score was virtually tied and the crowd came to realize the winner would be the second year seeker who caught the snitch. While the goalies continued to block shots, Bletchley was a bit better and allowed Slytherin to gain a slight lead. Blaise was settled on the bench watching and noting how smoothly the older goalie moved between the hoops and while he wasn't as flashy, his saves were still spectacular. There was a moment of worry when one of the chasers from Gryffindor had the quaffle misdirected by a bludger and it hit Bletchley in the shoulder. The wizard missed a couple of goals while he checked himself over but in the end he continued. Blaise would work harder in the coming weeks in case the damage ended up being worse than it appeared.

When there was an excited cheer from the stands everyone turned to see the two seekers stretched out on their brooms and racing toward the centre of the field. Flint yelled to his team which got them scoring another set of goals as the seeker ahead grasped the fluttering object. Both boys sat on their brooms smiling and laughing about something. In reality the game wasn't over and the 'snitch' was just a piece of trash blowing in the breeze. Draco was the first to resume his search for the small golden ball. The Gryffindor team was quite confused and had stopped playing, since the Slytherins were scoring unchecked, enough goals had been made for the snakes to win regardless of who caught the snitch. Draco saw the score but didn't want to win that way.

Harry finally swung around and started to search before his team realized the game wasn't over. Madam Hooch sat on broom shaking her head. Every team should know to play until she calls the game. The cheers from the crowd were meaningless. Harry started getting on the team for sitting there while Slytherin continued to score. Wood had been the first focused back on the match, but he had allowed too many goals during the delay. He grouched to himself at his lapse in judgement.

It was about five minutes after the trash incident when Draco caught the snitch. Harry was the first to congratulate him before heading down to meet the rest of the team on the grass. Draco smiled and was congratulated by the rest of his team before they too descended. Hermione was both pleased and disappointed, at least both boys caught something. Harry a piece of trash and Draco the snitch. There were still five years of games and both boys had a bit of growing to do.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While the students were cheering for their respective houses, the aurors had finally made some progress with their attempts to investigate Black Lake. It had taken months of negotiations with the merpeople but the unspeakable assigned had finally discovered what Dumbledore promised in order to gain safe access and assistance in completing the second entrance to Slytherin's Chamber. Amelia Bones was surprised at just how upset the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures was after being informed. Gethsemane Prickle was not a woman easily enraged; however, today the rumors of why she ran the division were confirmed for those who doubted. After being debriefed by the unspeakable, the witch immediately sent for the respective heads of the Being and Beast divisions. As the women waited, Amelia asked if the entire thing upset Gethsemane or if it was something specific.

"A little of everything Amelia, but the promise to rid the forest of all other magical beings is a punishable offense and if the old man wasn't already imprisoned I would be rallying for his immediate sentence. I'm still not sure he shouldn't receive the kiss for what he did to get that conviction." Gethsemane just huffed in frustration when the heads of her two largest divisions arrived. They were both aghast when they were told what had been discovered. Both men were knowledgable of merpeople and while they disagreed with the placement in the Beast Division, that decision had been made by the merpeople themselves.

"I had been informed of the DMLE's suspicion of the location and I was surprised the merpeople had allowed someone that level of access. It's virtually unheard of, especially considering the village is quite close to the proposed location. I guess this explains it. Merpeople can be very social until something happens to their pod. Once an attack is made, the entirety of the pod will attack the attacker. I would like to know exactly what happened to cause the merpeople to turn against an entire forest of beings and beasts."

Amelia agreed as the head of the Being Division spoke, she hadn't thought about her magical creatures class in years but it was slowly coming back to her. "Merpeople hold grudges for years if not decades if I remember correctly. That means whatever the slight was could have happened well before any of us were born. Gethsemane, I would like to formally request the assistance of your department in order to work with the unspeakables and the merpeople. Until we have full access to the lake, Hogwarts will not reopen."

The two men began to discuss which of them should be the main contact for this investigation. While they were classified as a Beast, the merpeople were more like centaurs and quite intelligent. Charles Vane, who was used to negotiating with other beings would have a better chance at gaining the trust necessary to get the needed response.

Gethsemane agreed with the plan the two wizards had and gave Amelia the ability to use her department as needed for this investigation. Charles Vane was temporarily reassigned to the DMLE as the expert on merpeople and went to prepare for his part. Amelia was pleased to have someone who may help them get to the bottom of this sooner rather than later.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Amelia and Charles made their way to the shore of Black Lake shortly after arriving at the castle. The man, who had come to respect muggles for some of their advances began to remove his robes. Amelia was a bit shocked until he said he was wearing a muggle wet suit that was insulated for cold water. He also pulled a device from the bag on his back. "This will help me move in the water more quickly than if I were just to swim. Now who has been speaking with merpeople and who is the representative of the merpeople?" The unspeakable who had spent the coldest months of the year in Black Lake speaking with the merpeople approached and the pair began to discuss everything Charles would need to know.

After twenty minutes, Charles entered the water and disappeared. The aurors tracked the ripples in the lake made by the device, until he was too deep to disturb the surface. Everyone prepared themselves for a wait. The aurors placed a number of warning devices for when anything larger than a fish came near the surface. No one wanted to be surprised if the basilik decided to show up.

It was almost three hours later when Charles returned to the surface. He looked a bit disgruntled but that could just be his personality, he didn't appear to be that pleasant of a guy. "Amelia, I need to do some research on what the merpeople told me. The slight they mentioned should have been reported as it resulted in the death of two merchildren and the permanent disfigurement of a third. It's no wonder they want their revenge." Without waiting for a response the man summoned his belongings got his boots on and left the grounds.

"So I think that probably does it for today. Get the sensors set up and let us get out the cold." Amelia's orders were finished with speed and the aurors on guard took refuge in the castle while Amelia returned to the Ministry. After checking for any other emergencies, Amelia made her way toward Gethsemane's office. When she neared it the distinct sound of yelling was heard and it didn't take Amelia long to determine the voice belonged to Charles. She knocked on the door and was ushered in by a still ranting Charles Vane.

Amelia deciphered his rants with ease and determined it was more or less what he said to the aurors before leaving the school. She waited for him to calm before asking if he'd been able to get his research completed. She found she didn't have to wait long before Charles started to rant again.

"It's unacceptable that he was able to do this. I wouldn't have put it past him to have killed those children himself and blamed some random forest creature. He told the grieving families the killer had been found and justice served. He also said the magical community was horrified at what happened and vowed to follow through with whatever the merpeople felt would be sufficient retribution. Gethsemane, he promised them the Ministry would destroy every living being in the forest. Somehow in doing this he got them to agree to allow him eternal access to the lake. I don't know what to tell these people. They were lied to; now I'm coming in saying he was lying and there was no investigation, no agreement and the man they trusted was probably the one to attack the children."

Charles seemed to have finally lost his energy and sat in a crumpled manner on the chair. Amelia looked to her counterpart before asking her only question. "I assume we are talking about Albus Dumbledore." No words were needed.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

It was three days after the Ministry discovered what Dumbledore had promised. Those days were spent researching if any evidence of the deaths had been reported and what was done. Without an exact date it was difficult but from a Ministry documentation stand point, the merpeople of Black Lake were rarely mentioned. This only supported the position Dumbledore withheld the information and used it to his personal advantage.

With a bit more information and after some discussions with individuals familiar with accidents that would impact a magical being, Charles Vane was ready to meet with the merpeople once more. He was going to take the unspeakable, Oliver, who had made the initial contact as the merpeople seemed to respect him as well. The two men suited up, placed their transportation into the water before casting a bubble charm on their heads and sinking into the water.

They were met by a sentry of the merpeople who recognized both wizards and allowed them to move closer to the merpeople's village. When the village was just barely visible, the wizards were met by Clyte, the leader of merpeople. He was flanked by four large mermen and it appeared more of the village had settled around the small group.

"Hello Clyte, you remember Oliver?" The leader of the merpeople moved forward and looked each of the men in the eye before motioning for them to follow. Charles was surprised at just how close to the village they were getting. When the procession stopped it was just outside of the village boundary, Charles was able to make out many buildings and their fields of kelp and gillyweed. The merpeople settled on seats while Charles and Oliver set their devices on the lake bed. It was a show of trust to move away from them in order to be in front of Clyte.

"What have you discovered of our claim? Has our vengeance been completed?" The merman was angry and his need for blood was evident. Oliver settled on a rock and motioned for Charles to do the same. It was to show Clyte he was the ruler of this lake and they were making no claims of power before him. "You are both different from the other wizard. He never sat beneath me and seemed upset when he was on the same level. You have something to tell me. To tell my pod. Speak."

It had been decided that Charles would speak and Oliver would just observe. Any details Charles may miss could be very important to the Ministry. "Yes Clyte we do have news and I do not believe you will be happy. You will remember when I left how angry I was at what you had told me." There was a murmur of appreciation from those surrounding the wizards when they remembered how the man was aghast when their lost children were mentioned.

Clyte waved his hand and the murmurs immediately ceased. "Continue Wizard Charles. My people will remain silent until the complete story has been told. No decisions will be made until then."

"I searched the records of the Ministry for this case. I wanted to see just what they recorded, I couldn't find anything. There are no records of their deaths, there is no record of an investigation and there is no record of a beast or being from the forest being arrested, convicted and killed for the attack. It seems as far as the Ministry is concerned, the attack was never reported." It was eery how silent a lake bed could be when there were at least one hundred living beings surrounding you.

"That is opposite of what the other wizard told us. Why should we believe you over him?" This was the part Charles and Oliver had expected and still didn't have a good answer.

"We don't know Clyte. I'm sure when the other wizard appeared he spoke eloquently about the public reaction and their outrange. Now I'm here, in your village, telling you none of his words were honest. Oliver and I are here to give you the truth, but we have nothing other than our word. We only want to figure out what happened. Our end goal is to be granted temporary access to the lake in order to determine if we can find some access point to a chamber lying deep under Hogwarts. We were unaware until you informed us."

Charles finished his speech and gently moved back to where Oliver was still seated. The wizards knew they could live through this or the merpeople could easily kill them. Both had come to accept their life really wasn't up to them and hoped the merpeople understood. Clyte moved back and forth in anger, he turned to face the wizards multiple times only to find them seated on the rocks watching the as the tribunal discussed everything.

"For some reason we believe you. Do not make us regret this. I will allow you the temporary access you request but ask for someone to look into the attack. My son was disfigured and his closest friends were murdered in front of him. He has refused to speak of the attack." Clyte's eyes shifted toward the village and Charles could just make out some movement from a large home near the entrance to the village.

"Clyte, might we be able to speak with your son. If he is willing, we may be able to find something but I can't promise vengeance since the individual who did this may have already died." The merman swam directly to the two wizards with a quick flick of his tail, he was impressed that neither flinched but lowered their heads in respect.

"I do not know. He…" Clyte was cut off by a quiet '_Father'_ echoing through the merpeople. As the group opened Charles and Oliver saw a young merman being helped forward. It appeared the lower half of his fin had died but the rest of him appeared physically fine.

"Father I would like to speak to these wizards." Clyte looked to his son and nodded slowly. Moving to his side, Clyte wrapped his arm around his son's waist as the boy's friends drifted away. "I am Adamaris, son of Clyte. I thank you for allowing me this opportunity, I was never comfortable when the other wizard visited."

"Adamaris, Oliver and I are grateful you've agreed to this. Would you be able to tell me how old you were and what happened on that day?" The merman seemed to second guess himself for only a moment before delving into his story.

"My friends and I were playing on the edge of the village. We were still within the safety of the village but maybe a touch further than our parents would want. We were called toward the shore and were not able to refuse. It was the call of the merpeople and we react automatically. Before we knew it, we were at the surface and two bolts of a verdant green light hit my friends. As I grabbed them and dove under I felt something hit my tail. As we were already descending I was able to call out to my father. The village came quickly. I didn't realize they were gone until later. I then discovered that not only had I lost my friends, I had also lost my ability to swim." Clyte had heard part of the story but even with the expanded knowledge, he gained nothing more than what he already knew. Adamaris survived only because he had a moment to react. Whatever had killed the other boys would have killed Adamaris as well.

Charles was intently listening to the story not wanting to miss anything. Since he couldn't take notes, his memories would document all the discussions. "Clyte, Adamaris, I have a few questions if you wouldn't mind answering. I have been in discussions with one of the healers I know. He specialized in care for magical creatures. Since I didn't know what had happened I couldn't give him a great amount of information, but he gave me a list of questions in order to see if we could help you." Charles again sat silent and waited for the merpeople, more specifically Adamaris to respond.

"Yes, I would be willing to discuss more but would prefer to do it in the confines of our home. Father, would you mind?" Clyte shook his head and motioned for two of the mermen to assist the wizards in traveling to the village. Two other mermen picked up the transportation devices and gently carried them to the large home and set them by the door.

The wizards and mermen entered the home before Charles was allowed to continue. "I think I'll start with my questions on that day. When you were at the surface, did you see anything more than the green lights? Was there a person or creature on the shore?"

Adamaris thought back to the day is life changed, it was something he did regularly but never focused on the moment. It was always when his friends meet their fates and the pain he felt in his tail. He remembered after he realized his tail was damaged he did look back once as he called for help. There was something he'd never mentioned to anyone.

"There was a face, I hadn't remembered it until now. My memories are typically clouded with pain but just as I realized my tail had been damaged I looked back and saw a face. It was an angry face he was saying something but I couldn't hear what. The face was covered…" Adamaris stopped and looked at the two wizards. "He had a bubble on his head, just like yours. But he also had something in his hand and it was moving over and over again. The same movement as I got further away. My family found us then and we were taken to the safety of the village."

Charles looked to Oliver, this was something DMLE official may be more accustom to doing. "Clyte, Adamaris, as you remember I called myself a protector when we first met. The whole purpose of my job is protect those in danger and find those responsible for hurting others. I'm going to move my hand, as you also remember, I'm unable to perform magic under water. I just want to see if this is the motion you remember." With a slow and deliberate manner, Oliver drew a tilted 's' in the water.

"Yes that was it. Over and over again he did that before we got away." Oliver was sickened when Adamaris confirmed the suspicion that had been floating between the two men.

"Can you describe the face you saw in the bubble that day."

Adamaris thought back on the face and began to describe a man who wasn't young but was far from old. His hair was medium not light like Oliver's nor as dark as Charles, there was hair on his face but it wasn't long, and he had piercing blue eyes. Those eyes were full of hatred. Adamaris remembered how scared he was as the man watched the merchildren get away.

Clyte, who was listening just as intently as the wizards, turned to his son. "Have you ever seen that face again?" Adamaris shook his head, while he didn't say it, his father knew his son hadn't left the safety of the village since returning that day.

"It's been many years since this happened you see. I believe I was 6 cycles old at the time and it's been many cycles since that day." Clyte nodded in agreement with his son as he floated toward a shelf.

"Based on our tracking of time, it's been sixty or so years in your terms." Clyte moved back to his son before turning to the wizards again. "You had mentioned a healer?"

Charles immediately nodded. "Yes, I can't be sure since I'm not a healer but I think he can help you Adamaris. The first question, are you able to move any part of your tail?" Adamaris began to show what range of motion he had and it was obvious why he couldn't swim, the part of the tail that whipped in the water was what had been hit but the upper portion was still alive.

"That actually answers quite a few of the questions but there is one I was told to ask regardless of your answers. This is a very personal question. Are you able to respond to respond to mermaids in an, uhh. That is to say when it is time to mate are you able to…" Charles paused he wasn't a healer and this was incredibly uncomfortable for the man.

Luckily for him Adamaris took pity and answered the question. "Yes, when it is time to mate, I respond as any other merman, but what mermaid would want me. I'm broken, so while I can release I cannot fertilize since I cannot move to where the eggs are stored, if you understand my meaning." Charles nodded a bit uncomfortably.

"Well, I think that does it. I need to speak with my healer friend first and I believe he will want to meet you. Clyte, would you be willing to allow me to bring another wizard with me?" The older merman looked between the wizard who may or may not be telling the truth and his son. For the first time in a long time, there was a look of hope in his son's eyes. He would put the entirety of the earth under water to make sure that looked never dimmed again.

"Yes I will grant you the permission to bring another wizard here as well. When will you return with the healer and when will other wizards be in the water for the original purpose?" Charles and Oliver were proud they held this much trust and vowed to not lose it.

"I will be back in probably four days, I'm sure the healer will want to review what you've said and come up with the best options. I'm not sure on Oliver's task." Charles turned to his companion who was smiling at the mermen.

"I will need to discuss with the person who leads my group, but she is very anxious and I could see it being as soon as tomorrow or the day after. I will accompany the group and stay closer to the village so they are not too close to your families. If you'd prefer, please have some of your guards met us and we can ensure no one gets closer than you are comfortable."

Clyte watched the two men and agreed to their terms. "I look forward to seeing both of you in the coming days. Oliver, when you are ready to dismantle what you seek, let my sentry know and they will provide you any assistance you may need. You need to be heading to the surface now, I think we are getting close to the limit of your charm. I'll send a couple of my men with you in case you need assistance."

With thanks the wizards headed to the surface for the next phase. As they broke the surface they were smiling at how well things might turn out.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

After hearing the entire story Amelia, Gethsemane, and the head healer for magical creatures were stunned. To survive the killing curse was unheard of and to only have had a small portion of the body affected was also an interesting study point. It took no time for Charles to get with the healer and make an initial plan. As for Oliver, he had been correct about Amelia and the first group of aurors were scheduled to go down the next morning. Oliver picked his team and called them into a meeting to prepare.

It did take Charles a few days longer to get himself and the healer ready. When they arrived the sentry escorted them to the same home inside the village and the wizards were met by Clyte and Adamaris. The healer immediately jumped into action and sat near Adamaris. The pair began to discuss the merman's actual limitations and not what he thought they were. By the end of the first visit, Adamaris had a number of things to practice and the healer had all sorts of measurements. The dead part of the tail hadn't grown once it was hit, unlike the rest of the man.

After discussing how long tails normally were and getting some idea on how long the tails of his family grew, the healer felt pretty comfortable he would be able to create what was needed. Adamaris agreed to practice the movements at least twice a day and felt excited for the first time since that day.

A week after being granted permission to access the lake and to treat Adamaris, both teams had a break through. The healer had a basic prosthetic tail. It was an estimated length for a merman of his stature and family disposition. The healer believed it was actually a bit too short and promised the final tail would be longer and would be permanently fitted to his tail.

The temporary tail connected just above the dead part and once it was attached, everyone was surprised to see Adamaris had some movement in the joint between his upper and lower tail. It would take the merman some work, but he would be able to swim as any other merperson soon. Clyte, knowing there was a mermaid who had always loved his son, nodded for her to come forward. "Come on Adamaris, I'll help you while your father discusses things with the wizards." The healer chuckled when he realized the merman was a touch embarrassed by the mermaid's attention.

"She's always wanted him but he had turned to far in on himself to see he could still have what every person wants. Thank you both for giving my son the ability to believe in himself again. For giving him the belief he was worthy of love. It's all I've ever wanted for my boy." Charles was surprisingly moved by what he had witnessed and was a bit overwhelmed with his emotions. The healer, who had seen many people come through traumatic events, turned to Clyte.

"As I mentioned, I wanted Adamaris to have some time to get comfortable before attaching the tail permanently. After my measurements and watching Adamaris now, I believe his tail needs a few modifications. I will make those changes and start to create his personalized tail. These are not quickly made since they are specific to each individual. I believe it should be about a month. If in that time, Adamaris notices his temporary tail is lacking in some way, please let one of the aurors know and they will inform me. What I attach next will never be removed and I want it to be perfect."

Clyte turned to watch his son out the window as the healer spoke. "I will take special notice of Adamaris and his progression, if there is anything we will tell Wizard Oliver. I believe he is trustworthy enough for something this important to my pod."

The wizards, who were bit moved by everything they'd witnessed, bid their farewell after promising to return as soon as the tail was complete. The pair made their way out of the large house and toward the surface. Clyte followed the pair to the edge of the village and waved them off. As he began to return to the village he heard the call of his sentry and immediately changed direction.

When he arrived he found Oliver speaking with one of the guards while the other waited for their leader. "The wizard believes they have found their goal. There seems to be an opening that leads into the castle." Clyte, who suspected that much, motioned for the guards to move to the side.

"Hello Wizard Oliver, have you been successful?" Oliver, who was smiles, dropped his head for a moment, in deference to the merman in front of him.

"Yes Clyte we have and are working to determine to close it without magic."

The merman looked and motioned to the guards. "Look at the opening and see if you can locate the stones removed to make the access." The guards shot in different in directions and began their task. "If we can find the stones it will be easier to block. Once that is done we can get the stones to hold steady for a short term, maybe a year or so in your terms."

"Clyte that would be excellent, we know the other way to access the chamber and needed this one blocked in order to stop the beast from escaping. Once we've taken care of the beast, we can reinforce the stones from inside the chamber and ensure no one can get in or out that way ever again."

It what seemed like a short period of time, but had actually been going on for months, the DMLE was finally able to move forward with the plan to extract the beast and allow students to return to the school. It was with a sigh of relief that Amelia Bones fell asleep that night.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

In the days and weeks after the breakthrough with the merpeople, the students of Hogwarts were gearing up for the spring holiday and the start of the final stretch of the year. There had been no mention of returning to the castle, but most students seemed ok with it. The new building really did meet the needs of the students.

Studying took a backseat when the second set of quidditch matches arrived. The Gryffindor team was matched against the Hufflepuffs for the first weekend. Slytherin and Ravenclaw were the following weekend which happened to be the weekend before the start of the spring holiday break. Once the two matches were complete everyone would have a better idea on the cup standings, there was a chance Hufflepuff and Slytherin would be playing for the cup in a head to head match in the last game of the season. The school was quite excited about the possibility, it had been quite a few years since the final match was between the two contenders.

The Gryffindor game was close, Harry ended up catching the snitch only because he was smaller and got to it a moment before Cedric. While Cedric hadn't gotten to the snitch, Hufflepuff still won. Wood passed out on his broom ten minutes into the game and was replaced by the second year keeper who hadn't really been part of the practices. Wood justified the lack of practice since he never planned to be pulled from a match. Seamus did fine once he got into the game but in the time it took for him to be in the air and start blocking shots, the Hufflepuffs had put up so many points it would be difficult for the lions to recover. But a Gryffindor isn't anything if not tenacious. In the end, with Harry catching the snitch, they had only lost by fifty points. The team cheered what Seamus did for them and he was given a lot of the credit for the match not being a total blow out. Oliver had contracted a nasty cold and was unable to sit up, let alone fly a broom for the next week. He remained in the infirmary until the day before the holidays started.

Slytherin easily topped the Ravenclaw team since the team's best players had graduated the year before and most of the open positions were filled with second year players. The common thought was in the upcoming years Ravenclaw would be a contender. The win by Slytherin set up the most anticipated match in years. Slytherin versus Hufflepuff and most of the school would cheer for the 'Puffs to win if only for Hannah.

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The unspeakables were finding themselves quite busy during the first few months of the new year. Not only were they trying to determine who was using the modified imperious curse, working on how to successfully counter the curse, and stopping any more of those attacks; they were also asked to determine a way for the DMLE to be able to view a basilik without actually looking at it. Each member of the DMLE was working hard to solve all their assignments as quickly as possible. Every night they had to admit they were coming up short.

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_**A/N 2: The merpeople stuff, I believe this is totally made up to fit with the story I'm spinning. No happy go lucky Ariels here...just a group of beings that probably have a pretty good reason to be wary of humans (magical or otherwise).**_

_**Hope everyone's December is going well and the preparations for the end of year holidays and celebrations.**_


	15. Chapter 15

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Hermione woke in her new bedroom for the first time and she couldn't have been happier. Her parents did a great job on the house. The Granger family spent the day after Hermione returned from Hogwarts to move into their new home. The house had been ready for a few weeks, but Jean and Rich wanted to have Hermione with them. The moving day had been long and Hermione felt her muscles complaining. She groaned as she stretched a bit and smiled at the bookshelf across the room. The boys had given her another stack of books on flying techniques and placed them on the shelf for her to read at her leisure. Since she'd not grown significantly, much to Draco relief, since the previous summer her training broom should still fit. Lucius mentioned if she grew a few more inches they may need to trade up to the next size. Draco stood to the side grumbling about how he needed to grow a few more inches. Harry and Blaise chuckled quietly at Draco's complaints. Blaise was the tallest of the three and made sure to remind his mates of the fact regularly.

Hermione had no desire to become an expert on a broom, but it made her boys happy and she didn't really mind it that much anymore. She still didn't think she would do it on her own. Her focus returned to her room and just how perfect it was since she was a teenager now. The en suite with both a shower and bathtub, knowing she'd get spoiled enough before she returned to school with it, she decided to not try either out yet. The spring break was shorter than the winter holiday at only two weeks. It allowed for a slight reprieve and to give the students a chance to refocus for the push to the end of the year tests.

After getting out of her new and incredibly comfortable bed, the witch got ready for the day and gathered her books. She wasn't sure if the boys would come over or if she would go to the Manor but either way she was starting her studies for the end of year exams.

The tests they took before leaving were fine, she hadn't stressed too much over them and felt she did as well as she could. It was a relief really, she had started to get herself worked up about not being worked up. Daphne laughed and explained life was too short to make up things in order to be worried. It sort of reset everything for Hermione and the rest of term was fine.

She did want to speak to Severus about the end of year tests for their extra courses. Those tests did make her nervous and she wanted to know what to expect. While these thoughts were running through her head, she hadn't realized she made it to the dining room and sat at the table. "Hermione, you ok? You look like you're in a different world." Jean chuckled when Hermione jumped a bit.

"Sorry mum, I was thinking about some questions I need to ask Professor Snape and would like to do it sooner rather than later. I want to get my study schedule set so I can keep myself calm. Do you think Regulus would be willing to help us prepare again?" Jean raised her hand knowing if she didn't stop Hermione, the questions would just keep coming.

"Everyone is meeting at the Manor for dinner tonight so you will be able to ask all your questions then. Until that happens, I want to show you what I'm planning for the garden after we eat." Mother and daughter ate and talked about the term in more detail than what could be described in letters.

Jean looked at the newest charm and smiled at how happy it made Hermione. Jean would talk about it with Narcissa sometime over the evening, the mums were having great fun discussing their children. After finishing breakfast and their updates, Jean sent Hermione to get her slickers since it rained pretty heavily overnight and the yard was now a muddy mess.

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Rich had left early in order to check the order being shipped to the DMLE that day. The last of the protective gear ordered by the auror department had been finished the day before. They had also been contracted to work with another department at the ministry for some items they wanted. Rich wasn't confident in dealing with the individuals in the Ministry, so he asked Lucius to lead the meetings and negotiate all deals. Rich happily attended the meetings to make sure he understood what the customer wanted and worked with Matt in order to figure out just what magic could and couldn't easily do.

As their first customer, the Ministry was the company's largest customer; however, the English/Irish Quidditch league had agreed to allow the newest division of Malfoy Industries to air the matches over the newly introduced magical moving picture. Rich laughed at how difficult the name was and still didn't understand why they just couldn't call it the telly. Aside from the ridiculous name, the quidditch league alluded to the fact if viewing games away from the stadiums was successful the contract would be reviewed and extended to the benefit of both sides. Lucius and his contact at the league believed in the endeavor and mocked up a few scenarios. When Lucius returned from those meetings the week prior, he mentioned if the league's contract would exceed what they made off the Ministry.

As people tend to do, the leaders of the domestic league happened to mention how their games would be aired and viewed away from the stadiums to their somewhat rivals in the international league. Needless to say, Lucius had received an inquiry from them. Their largest concern was how games would be viewed across the continent. With more than a bit of pompousness, the international league reiterated how their fans were located in a more widespread area. After working out how to air games over a short distance, Matt immediate started to figure out other ways to air the live signal over much larger area. He wasn't sure yet, but he'd figure it out.

In a somewhat surprising request, Lucius recently received a request from the group heading up the next World Cup asking if the company had enough equipment to air every game in two plus years. They would prefer to have all games aired over the world, but if not than to be able to air the games to their home countries. Lucius was able to respond with the luxury of time they had been provided, MG Industries would be able to record, air matches live and provide copies of every match. He requested a meeting to go over the details with the organizers and was quite confident he'd close the deal before the start of the summer leagues. Quidditch had more potential as a money maker that even Lucius had initially estimated.

With all the future plans, the three men believed additional help would need to be hired. To keep up with the incoming orders for televisions, Matt estimated they could hire two people and make a higher profit than if he continued to do it himself. Those were numbers Lucius liked and asked Matt to come up with a list of requirements necessary for someone whose sole job would be to apply the television charms. By the start of summer Lucius hoped to have two people focused on televisions, and another one or two on the various cameras needed by the leagues and private citizens wanting to record their family moments. Once those areas were covered, an analysis on the needs of the Ministry would be performed to determine if more than one employee would be required for that work.

Rich and Lucius had decided at the start of the year if the quidditch leagues took off, Matt would be promoted and given a portion of the profits. In addition, his primary responsibility would be to identify new items for the product catalog or new areas where muggle technology would help the wizarding world. When the offer was placed in front of the wizard he was shocked. After reading the offer over many times Matt agreed and became the third partner in the endeavor. Only their imaginations would limit what the wizarding world could purchase.

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When dinner rolled around, Hermione and Jean flooed to the Manor meeting Narcissa in the receiving room. "How was the first night in the new house?" Hermione detailed everything she loved about the house and it took the witch almost an hour before she got to the one thing she didn't like as much.

"I miss the boys. It was great having them so close. We could always find each other. Now I'll have to floo call or something to talk about nothing important." Hermione sighed a bit before continuing her dialogue. "But other than that, the house is perfect for mum and dad. It's only missing a pool and a duck pond at this point." The women laughed as Draco was reminded about the house he wanted to build, eventually. Maybe he'd have a bit of time to fly over the plot and see where those two things would best be placed. The problems with growing up.

On the other hand, Hermione missed him, that was something to celebrate. He quickly stepped to Hermione's side and took her hand in his before leading her to the dining room. After pulling her chair out, the witch smiled and Draco felt like he'd just won the cup for Slytherin single handedly.

As everyone sat at the table, Hermione looked at how much her family had expanded in under two years. Professor Snape and Regulus were discussing something quietly at the far end of the table with Lucius joining in every so often. Harry and Blaise had been taken with the idea of being an animagus after hearing more stories from Remus about his friends adventures at Hogwarts. The pair were intent on guessing what their forms could be. Jean, Narcissa, and Professor McGonagall were discussing how well the advanced Transfiguration classes were going and what the next term would bring. Rich was sitting next to Jean at the end of the table opposite Lucius and thinking the same thing as his daughter. He caught her eye and smiled happily.

Hermione realized she was probably the happiest she had ever been and it was all because she had some true friends. It was thinking about her family when she remembered what Neville had told her. Watching the conversation at the far end of the table, Hermione took the opportunity to address her potions professor when he appeared to have finished with Regulus.

"Professor Snape, I have a couple questions I hope you wouldn't mind answering." While Severus was good at figuring out what Hermione wanted to know when in class or a specific setting, this was neither of those and he had no idea where her thoughts had take her.

"You may ask, but I reserve the right to not answer if it's better you not know just yet. Agreed?" At Hermione's nod, Severus waved on her questions.

"I really only have two. The first is about the waking potion. Neville mentioned he hoped his dad would be home by the end of break. How is it going? My second is about the advanced coursework and with Professor McGonagall here I'd like to know her thoughts as well. For the end of term exams when will we be taking them? I am trying to get my timetable set up before we return. It would help put my mind at ease if I had a plan."

The witch closed her mouth and blinked at the potion master. "Miss Granger, I am surprised you stopped at two, but this will be all I'll answer today. The waking potion is almost finished and I expect to deliver it to the DMLE in two days time. As for the victims being released, I'm not their healer so I am unaware of the plans in that regard." Hermione nodded, she really wanted to know about the potion and that was the answer she got. She watched to see if he would answer her second question.

"As for all of your end of year tests, Minerva and I have decided the Transfiguration and Hermione's third year Potions exams will be done the first week you are home in the summer. The boys must sit with the other students taking their OWLS as there is no way to reschedule the formal exam. Once we have received a finalized schedule Minerva, Sophie and I will work to determine if any of your other end of term exams will need to be moved to accommodate the OWLS schedule. Those will be shifted but you will all receive your official timetables nearer the end of term."

While the boys had been studying for the OWLS, this was a stark reminder how close the end of term was. Severus, seeing the touch of panic in them, interrupted the boys thoughts. "I believe you both will attain the needed grade, but I don't want that to stop your efforts. If you continue to put forth the same effort, I don't have any worries for either of you." The relief on the boy's faces was sort of comical. Hermione was going to make sure they didn't focus all their efforts on the OWLS at the expense of their other classes.

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With Hogwarts on break and all students away from the school, the DMLE informed professors of the progress in identifying the second entry and determining how to close the opening temporarily. Until the basilik was gone, the second opening could not be permanently closed. While the exact timing of the removal was up in the air, it was an incredibly stressful time for the new headmistress as she discussed contingency plans and worst case scenarios.

It was a brilliant bit of luck Minerva had befriended the ghost of Myrtle as a student and the friendship continued over the years. With the support from the rest of the staff, Sophie and Minerva were able to relocate the ghost and allow her to roam the entire school. The only condition placed on Myrtle was she couldn't return to that bathroom until the chamber had been completely closed. Myrtle agreed and moved to a hall where she'd spent many hours while a student. The window was wide and allowed sunlight to filter into the hall almost all day long. She spent countless hours looking at the rolling hills. The ghost no longer moaned in misery and in years to come she was found to be a good companion to those needing a friend.

During the break the Sophie and Amelia ensured the pipes for the sinks and toilets in the washroom were closed from the rest of the school, in case the beast got free. The plan called for multiple aurors and professors stationed outside the door ready to cast any number of spells and curses if the beast made it that far. Once the beast had been destroyed, a team of aurors would traverse the secret chamber in order to secure the second opening and ensure there would be no other way to access the chamber. They would also map the area and determine if there were any other surprises left by Slytherin prior to his departure.

The plans were as ready as they could be and the merpeople had sent notice the final stones had been located. Clyte said there was a bit of magic when the last stone was fit into its place and the damage was partially repaired, though the cracks could be seen. Even with the hole seemingly closed, Clyte performed a few strengthening rituals used by the merpeople on their own homes. The hole, for lack of a better description, was gone. Now the only hold up was on the unspeakables and their ability to come up with a safe way for the aurors to watch the beast without setting themselves up for a suicide mission.

It was a week into the holidays when Amelia Bones requested a representative from Hogwarts and the Board to meet at the castle. Lucius arrived in Sophie's office to find the headmistress and Minerva waiting. Almost immediately after Lucius stepped from the grate, Amelia arrived as well. Sophie, Minerva, and Lucius all hoped for good news because the look on Amelia's face wasn't the scowl they were used to seeing. The result of the meeting was sort of positive.

The unspeakables had been able to charm a mirror to reflect the back of the basilik regardless of the beast turning. The attacking auror would wear a pair of goggles enchanted to act like a lens of a camera. This was a safety precaution in case the auror looked at the beast instead of the mirror. Attacking a beast with your eyes shut seemed a bit fantastical and would likely end with someone being killed either by the beast directly or being bitten and having the venom kill them instead. Neither was a pleasant thought.

Minerva offered to work with Filius to transfigure and charm the other mirrors in the washroom to only reflect the charmed mirror's image. Minerva thought this would allow any auror in the room a clean shot if the opportunity arose. As they were talking Minerva heard a muffled noise from the shelves and turned to see the sorting hat hoping up and down. Not having to hear the thing complain was actually one of the few good things about the new school building. Minerva lifted the hat only to see the hilt of something gleam. She carefully removed the heavy sword and the hat sighed in relief.

"Finally, that thing has been sticking me for a millennia now. While all of your plans could work, this sword would probably be better. It was the sword Godric used during his life. He cherished the thing and told me at some point Salazar's plans would come to fruition and when they did, I was to give this to the champion selected by Hogwarts. So I have and you can decide who shall wield it. I might recommend an upward thrust through the head and then wiggle it a bit before it's removed."

The hat went silent and started to snore. Minerva raised an eyebrow at the hat and set it back on the shelf. "Well, that was interesting and probably more helpful than I've come to expect from the hat." She knew the stories of the sword and it would be interesting to see if whomever Amelia selected would be able to wield it. She fingered the hilt and felt a bit of power course through her. The portraits of the former headmasters looked curiously at the sword as they murmured questions to each other before the finally the oldest portrait confirmed the sword was the one Godric carried. Portraits of the founders had been lost centuries prior, so to be able to confirm the existence of an actual relic from a founder was unexpected.

"Amelia, I will request this remains on site at all times. We will also allow you to select the best auror for this mission." The head of the DMLE had only one auror in mind.

"Thank you. I had wanted to do this as soon as we could; however, after discussions at the Ministry I've come to realize we aren't on a real time crunch here. I want it done sooner rather than later, preferably before the summer starts, but I want the plan to be fool proof. That said, I will need a bit of time to see how well the mirror works, go through some mock situations, and finalize everything. Minerva, I trust you to have the other mirrors focused, but I want to make sure the focal point is accurate before any of my people or your professors are at risk." Amelia immediately left the office after obtaining the others agreement.

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When Amelia returned to the Ministry she found a simple note stating _'It's done'_ with no signature. It didn't matter, Amelia knew immediately what it was. She responded with a request to meet as soon as possible. Less than an hour later Severus Snape stepped through the floo and handed Amelia a box with twelve vials of potion.

"We only have four victims Severus. Why the extra?"

"I have found in life it's better to be prepared. In case there are other petrifications during the assault, they can be quickly revived. That assumes there would only be an additional eight victims. Any more will have to wait for me to brew another batch."

"Would you like to witness the result Severus? I'm heading to the hospital immediately. I've contacted the healers and they are waiting." It only took the ever imposing professor a second to motion for Amelia to go first.

When the pair had arrived at St. Mungo's they were in the office of the chief healer and the head of the creature attack ward. Both healers looked to the vials and then the appearance of Severus Snape before agreeing there was no reason to question the efficacy of the potions. No one dared to doubt a potion created by Severus Snape. The quartet walked into the quiet ward and were led to the back where four beds were set each in a separate corner.

"I know this sounds like I doubt something you brewed Severus, I would like to test the potion before we use it." Severus cocked his head and seemed to ask how she would do that. "I want Skeeter to be given the potion first. I am going to send her to Azkaban regardless if she is an animagus or not. If the potion kills her, maybe everything works out for the better." The healers were ready to say that would be against their own vows to protect but realized they wouldn't be able to run trials as the only four people known to be petrified are in this room.

"We will start with Skeeter and hold off on the others until we see the results of the potion." The healer left no room for arguments and swiftly called for the support team. In addition to the nurses and residents, two aurors stepped in the area and stood behind the medical staff, but still close enough to act if the witch tried anything.

A resident raised the witch and once the potion was poured into her mouth, everyone waited to see just what would happen. The witch twitched a couple of times before a scream ripped from her lips. An auror immediately silenced her and while some of the medical staff retreated, the other auror and healers remained at the side of the bed. Once the screaming appeared to stop, the auror removed the silencing charm and all kept their eyes trained on the witch. One eye slowly opened followed by the other. Once both eyes were open and looking around, Amelia stepped into the line of sight and cast an evil smile toward the witch in the bed.

"Hello Rita, let's talk a bit about how you got into Hogwarts." When Skeeter tried to move, Amelia grasped her arm and the other two aurors leapt into position made sure there was no escape. "You don't want to talk, well I guess we'll let the healer do his thing. Leo, if you will please check her as we discussed." The healer stepped forward and began the litany of spells showing the witch was perfectly healthy and her vitals had returned to the normal range. With a final flick of his wrist, the monitoring spell was reinforced to last until he removed it. The healer then gave a signal to the aurors who moved forward and pointed their wands at the still slightly confused reporter. Once ready, the healer sent one spell and watched as the witch turned into a beetle. Not a second later, the witch was again on the bed.

"I believe you now have what you needed Madam Bones. She is healthy and I will release her immediately. You may take her when you see fit." The Healer tapped a few things on the clipboard at the end of the bed before the auror nearest to her head plopped a portkey on Skeeter's head and the other auror touched it as well. With a pop they were gone and Amelia was going to finally get rid of the witch that caused nothing but problems.

"Alright, let's get Frank and Aurora up. I need to get Colin's parents here for them to give the necessary permission since he is a minor." The healer motioned to one of the residents who left to retrieve the young wizard's family.

Frank was given the potion first and like with Skeeter he twitched a bit and then slowly opened his eyes. Unlike the witch he didn't scream, he looked quietly around the room to see who was there. Amelia stepped beside her second in command. "It's good to have you back Frank. We will get Alice here soon. I'd like to discuss a few things with you before about what's happened." The man shook his head, as if he were clearing out cobwebs.

"That sounds like a good idea Amelia." Once the healer had completed his review of Frank Longbottom and signed off on his health, the auror was scheduled to be moved to private room for the rest of the day. Severus who has not been known for his patience stood beside Aurora's bed and waited for the healer to get to her.

Without saying a word, the healer handed the potion master a vial and motioned for him to administer it. The healer knew how often the man had been here speaking to the patient and promising her he would be able to brew the potion soon. Aurora twitched and also opened her eyes slowly, instead of screaming or being confused she looked to Severus and smiled. "I heard you, I knew you'd get it done for me. Thank you Severus." The healer did the same diagnostic on the witch and nodded that she too was in fine health and would only remain for a few more hours, just to make sure.

When Aurora saw a student was one of the victims she stated she wouldn't leave until he was awake. It was her duty as a professor to ensure he came back. Severus chuckled and touched the witch's cheek. "I'm here as well Aurora, but I would prefer you stay beside me until I can leave. You're on medical leave until your release so I'm the official Hogwarts representative." With a bit of a glare, the witch settled herself back on her bed and began to ask all the questions she had while frozen.

About fifteen minutes after leaving, the resident returned with the Creevy parents and their other son. The family stood by the professors after giving the hospital permission to wake their son. They were pleased to know the other victims had already received the potion and were fine. They had been a bit worried their son would be some sort of test subject.

Colin reacted a bit more than the others, but Severus explained as a child the potion would cause a bit more of a reaction but he would not be harmed. The Creevys watched as Colin jerked twice more before he opened his eyes. After providing some level of comfort to the family and his student, Severus told the family he would be in the room next door to Colin until everyone was released, if they needed him they now knew where to find him.

Once in the quiet of the private room, Severus began to admit things he had never said to the witch. After his thirty minute confession, Aurora took the shaking hand of Severus Snape and told him she liked him as well.

After regaining himself and confirming the witch was agreeable to being courted, Severus sent a message to the headmistress and Lucius. Both probably should have been told earlier, but he needed time with Aurora first. Lucius arrived first and smirked when he found his friend sitting next to Aurora and the pair were holding hands.

"Hello Severus. Glad to see your eyes open Aurora. Is Mr. Creevy in the room next door, I'd like to pop in on him and his family while we wait for Sophie." Severus stood and squeezed Aurora's hand.

"Yes, I'll go with you. I should check in, it's probably been forty-five or so minutes since I had spoken to them last." Aurora sent him a wink which made the man blush. Lucius noticed it all and slapped the still reddened man on the shoulder.

"We'll be back shortly Aurora, I won't keep him long." Her laugh was the last thing Severus heard as the door shut quietly. "She's a good choice Severus. I'm sure Narcissa will be more than excited when she hears." Severus attempted to grab his long time friend, who might lose his title, but Lucius was quicker and had anticipated the move. He darted into the room and set about introducing himself to the family.

Severus was stepping into the room when he heard the clicking of heels on the tile and turned to see the headmistress quickly headed for him. "Are they all ok? Why didn't you let me know once the potion was done? I should have been here Severus."

"Yes they are all fine. Frank is there, Aurora is in that one and Colin and his family are in this one. Skeeter was taken by the DMLE for questioning, I doubt we will see her any time soon. Lucius just hopped in with the Creevy family. I was headed in to try and keep the man from embarrassing himself when I heard you coming down the hall." He motioned for Sophie to step in and she just gave him a glare similar to the one Minerva always gave him before she gripped his hand.

"Thank you Severus, this means the world to me." Sophie stepped into the cheerful room and sat down with Mrs Creevy. With everyone in the room, Severus didn't feel he was needed and returned to where he wanted to be anyway.

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As Amelia had promised, once she and Frank had finished their discussion, she contacted Alice and told her the good news. When Alice arrived it was with Neville and Aggie in tow. The relief that appeared on his children's faces gave Frank pause. He had never really thought about the what ifs, but this was really the first time he'd put himself in a position to lose his family.

"I'll think about it Amelia and get back to you." Amelia expected nothing less. She nodded and squeezed Alice's shoulder before shutting the door behind her. The family deserved a bit of time to themselves. Now she only had to wait to hear Frank's decision.

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All the patients had been released from the hospital before dinner and Lucius invited Severus and Aurora to the Manor. Aurora accepted quickly admitting with how long she'd been petrified any food she may have had would be bad and she was quite hungry. Severus agreed without compliant knowing how the evening would play out even before acquiescing.

Lucius looked happier than Severus had seen since Draco was born, Severus shook his head and looked to the blonde witch smiling happily at his side. "Come along Aurora, I'll side apparate us to the Manor. Lucius said he'd get Narcissa to help you with clothes and any other things you need. With you being away for so long, I'd like to make sure someone is with you for the first little bit. I'd hate to lose you again." While Aurora typically didn't like to be coddled, she would allow it this one time. She did feel a bit out of sorts and a bath sounded excellent.

When the pair arrived, Severus held her until Aurora got her bearings and could stand on her own. As he gazed around the entryway, Severus saw Narcissa nearly bouncing on her feet with her hands clasped tightly in front of her. Her eyes were twinkling and at the same time telling Severus to get on with the introduction. "Aurora this is Narcissa Malfoy and if you are ok with it, she'll accompany you."

"Hello Mrs. Malfoy, I'm Aurora Messerly and I would appreciate any assistance you are willing to provide. I'm still wrapping my head around everything." Narcissa immediately stepped to Aurora's side and motioned toward the steps.

"Severus, Lucius explained it all. He's in his study, I think Regulus and Rich may be in there as well. Go along and be sociable." Aurora quietly laughed at Narcissa's commands as the pair of witches slowly made their way up the steps. "I can apparate us if you prefer. I don't want you to get too tired. We're just getting the chance to meet you after all."

"This isn't any reflection on you or Mr. Malfoy, but the way Severus is acting, I feel like I'm meeting his parents." Aurora likened Mrs. Malfoy's laugh to the sound of bells blowing lightly in the wind.

"I guess we sort of are a combination, or maybe siblings. Lucius certainly acts like an older brother and I've always seen Severus as close friend, maybe a brother. But, no we aren't his parents. They were an interesting pair and to be honest, we are all probably better with them being gone."

Aurora didn't know much about Severus's past but his parents sounded like they would have been a difficult sell. "I think I'd appreciate it if you would apparate us. I didn't realize how quickly I would get tired." Narcissa wrapped an arm around the witch and brought them into the master bedroom.

"The bathroom here is larger and I don't think it would be quite as awkward for us since we just met and all." Narcissa sat Aurora on a stool and started the bath. After adding some bubbles for the fun of it, a handful of bath salts were added as was a number of oils to help relax her tight muscles after being unable to move. When Aurora got twisted up in the outfit the hospital gave her, Narcissa helped her undress and led her to the bath. Once Aurora was settled, Narcissa sat on the stool and pair started to get to know each other.

At the end of the bath Narcissa washed the other witch's hair and helped her rinse the remnants of the bath before wrapping her in a fluffy robe.

"This is really one of my favorite things. Lucius and I only had Draco and I've missed on the chance to dress others. I have Hermione now, and she is pretty reasonable but I do know she'd stop me if she really didn't like something." As Narcissa spoke, she sat Aurora on the bed and went into her large closet. She flicked through a few things before pulling out a dress. "This will be perfect, I may need to shorten the sleeves a bit but otherwise I think we are probably the same size." Narcissa handed the other witch a bra and a pair of knickers and while Aurora pulled those on, Narcissa was looking for a matching set of robes. "Good you're ready." Helping the other witch into the dress was pretty easy, as were the slight alterations.

"We need to dry and style your hair. Couple of questions, do you prefer it up or down and what sort of make up do you normally wear?" Aurora found herself oddly enjoying her time with the ever stylish Mrs. Malfoy.

"I rarely really do much with my hair. Most days it's either a simple braid or a bun. And I'm the same with make up. My look is pretty minimal, some liner, a little mascara and maybe, on a wild day, I'll swipe some gloss on." Narcissa eyed the witch and nodded.

"I can do simple. I have some ideas alternatives that won't take much longer than what you are used to doing." Before Aurora knew it, she looked better than she had in years. Even when she tried, she couldn't match this look. Still not believing the witch in the mirror was her, Narcissa pulled her out of her thoughts. "Ok, now for the easy part." Once the robe was on, Narcissa transfigured a pair of slippers into some comfortable flats.

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"I should warn you. When Lucius told me about you both coming to dinner, he also invited a few of our friends. I think you'll recognize the children and figure out the relationships with the adults. It's not really inquisition, I swear. We are probably the closest thing to a family Severus has and we all just want him to be happy. I'm sure you'll figure it all out eventually and understand our position, but we are all quite protective of the grumpy man." Narcissa smiled brightly before leading Aurora into the largest dining room she'd ever seen.

The aforementioned grumpy man immediately moved to Aurora's side and relieved Narcissa of her charge. Narcissa smiled as she nodded to Aurora and made her way to Lucius while Severus continued to ask how Aurora was feeling and if she would prefer to head home instead. "She's a lovely woman Lucius, and I think a good fit for Severus. At least from what I've seen so far. He seemed quite smitten with her."

Lucius directed his wife toward the table and motioned for the rest of the guests to sit. Once Aurora finally got Severus to believe she wanted to stay, the man led her to the table and sat her in an open chair before sitting next to her.

"Hi Professor Messerly, we are all so glad to see you back. I'm sure Professor McGonagall is beside herself with excitement as well." Hermione's introduction made Severus realize he had forgotten to inform one very important person. After his head dropped and he shook it looking up to see Lucius red from trying to hold back his laughter.

"You do realize she will be so much worse than Sophie. Aurora if this is my last night on earth, please believe it was worth it when I saw you open your eyes."

"Come now Severus that seems a bit much don't you think? I mean you only failed to inform the Board, the Headmistress, or the Deputy Head who is also Aurora's partner. It's not quite worthy of me killing you, but a good maiming is certainly in the cards." Severus hadn't noticed Minerva standing in the corner.

"I apologize Minerva, I was quite focused on making sure the potion worked properly and I wasn't thinking clearly." The witch in question shook her head and walked toward the couple.

"Aurora it's wonderful to see you up again and I look forward to when you are ready to return to Hogwarts. Between Lucius and I, we can get you up to speed on what's happened at the school. I don't believe it will take long or intrude on your time with Severus."

Severus never experienced a more uncomfortable and yet warm dinner in his life. As he settled into his bed, he realized just how important he held everyone who was at the dinner. And how they happily accepted Aurora into the group. Maybe opening up a bit wouldn't be as horrible as he thought.

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_**A/N: A bit of a filler, need to set up a few things for down the road. Plus In this universe Severus isn't the same emotionally stunted man. He hadn't experienced true love yet, because he hadn't found her. He has friends in this world and knows the difference between friendships, crushes and what love is supposed to be. So we get to experience a first love from the perspective of two characters that didn't get the chance before. **_


	16. Chapter 16

**_A/N: Two chapters after this one. Some of the loose ends will be tied up in the next few weeks, while others will remain for future years. Have to keep somethings so you'll all come back. For those of you celebrating this coming week ... Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, and Happy Kwanzaa. If there are any celebrations I missed, I do apologize, but rest assured I send you all greetings of happiness, health, and love. _**

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During the remainder of the spring holiday, Severus found himself laughing more than he ever had. The reason was a certain blonde witch whose petrification pushed what he had brushed off for months into something real. The wizard reflected on many things during the increasingly rare times when he was alone. The most prominent thought was when his feelings shifted and how he was one of the last to know.

He didn't see it happen and when she was removed from his life, Severus found himself missing Aurora more and more. Their relationship wasn't physical, it was intellectual and comfortable. She would often slip into his quarters on nights when neither were required to do rounds and talk about everything.

Severus told Aurora more about his time as a student than anyone else knew. The only others who knew the full extent of the stories were happily out of Severus's life. One had been dead for a decade and the second lived on a private island with no escape.

Aurora was shocked to hear how Severus suffered as a child and when his time at Hogwarts offered him no comfort she wrapped herself around him. It had been years since Severus was held with such affection and he was selfish enough to soak up her warmth. Those evenings started very early in the year and Severus thought them to be secret. That was until the cold day when the warmth he started to crave had been viciously taken from him.

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It was a week after the attack, in fact it was the following Saturday when Severus had an unexpected visitor. The knock was so familiar and for a moment Severus thought it was Aurora. Of course it wasn't, but it was Minerva who immediately grabbed the crestfallen wizard in her arms.

A lifetime of repressed emotions erupted from the wizard as he clung to Minerva for dear life. After some length of time, Severus started to lessen his hold and Minerva guided him to the couch. After making the wizard sit, Minerva summoned the bottle of firewhiskey and two glasses. The pair sat in silence sipping their drinks while Severus came to terms with what had happened.

"How did you know Minerva? How did you know you needed to prepare me before saying it was Aurora? I … I didn't even know until after she was gone." The witch actually laughed at the question and swallowed the rest of her drink.

"It wasn't difficult really. Aurora wasn't subtle about her attraction and the ghosts like to gossip. Once Baron saw Aurora sneak down here early in the year, the ghosts set up a watch on nights when neither of you did rounds. I was informed a few weeks ago, actually all the ghosts did was confirm what I knew." Minerva poured herself a second drink and topped off Severus's glass. When Severus didn't say anything Minerva continued with her dialogue.

"I had thought Aurora's feelings weren't returned. In all my years, I've never met anyone who can mask their true feelings, their emotions quite like you, Severus. I only caught a glimpse once, it was a few days after the school year started and I was walking through the halls when I saw the two of speaking in an empty hallway. I was curious and stayed in the shadows. The conversation was obviously related to the school and you were telling her about some of the secret paths we use during patrols." Severus remembered the conversation, it was a turning point for his relationship with Aurora.

"She thanked you and before she turned to leave she placed her hand on your arm. She left and surprisingly you remained. Your eyes lingered on her path until she was well and truly away before shifting to look at your arm. I don't know if you realized it, but as she was leaving your other hand covered the spot." Severus shook his head, he hadn't realized what he'd subconsciously done. He just remembered feeling…while focusing on the particular memory Minerva mentioned, Severus hadn't realized he started to talk.

"I don't remember much after she left. I knew my feelings had shifted a bit from thinking of her as a coworker to something more, something else I couldn't pinpoint. That was the first night we met to talk. That was all we did on those nights. We talked about our families, childhoods, education and masteries. She asked millions of questions and I found myself unable to not answer her. She found great humor when I compared her to Hermione in that regard."

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Severus looked around his quarters noting how quiet it was. The quiet was something he relished, but now he craved something warmer, something softer, something he believed he'd found. His memories continued to play and Severus found himself remembering the day he decided to first visit Aurora at St. Mungo's. It was difficult for him to witness Aurora's unmoving and frozen form. She was full of life and energy, not cold and unseeing. Luckily the healers had been able to close the eyelids of the victims, Severus wasn't sure he would have been able to remain if he could see her unresponsive blue eyes.

That evening Severus remained until well after visiting hours were over telling Aurora about what had been happening at the school and how Minerva and the ghosts, at minimum, knew of their friendship. Severus talked about his lunch with Regulus and what had been mentioned about someone fancying him. Severus admitted to immediately denying he liked anyone. In the quiet of the room, Severus continued to explain how he'd decided to talk with her that evening wanting to put a name to this unknown feeling.

Over the next weeks and months, the staff at St. Mungo's often found the feared potions master asleep next to the petrified witch. No one ever approached and only made loud noises outside the ward to ensure the man was awake to do as he needed. Severus never discovered what the staff had done for him.

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While Severus was coming to terms with how he viewed the quiet now; Aurora found herself shying away from times when she was alone. She had spent her entire time petrified silent. She tried to talk to herself, but that was boring. When the healers and medi-witches would do their rounds they never spoke to her only about her. The only time she found relief were when Severus was at her side. At first she felt guilty at how exhausted Severus seemed to be and how he would fall asleep every night. She would feel his head on her pillow and the soft puffs from his breath.

It was worse on days when Severus didn't visit, she would lay and think about how warm she felt when he was there. Aurora knew her infatuation with the man had morphed and after his first visit, she knew Severus felt the same. It was a relief of sorts and maybe after she was unfrozen she would think back on this event and find some positives in it. But right now all she wanted was to be next to Severus and be able to hold him because the wizard needed a good hug.

Her happiness almost exploded when Severus talked about finding a distributor with mandrakes meeting his high standards. She sighed in relief as he laid his head next to hers. The wizard promised on his magic to get the waking potion made. He needed back in her arms. The witch could only silently agree.

Aurora knew she couldn't be alone in the short term and maybe not in the longer term either. She had been offered a room at Malfoy Manor at least until school resumed and she accepted without a second thought. Severus told her she was welcome to stay at his home, but the Manor was much nicer. Aurora noticed a sadness when Severus spoke of his home. "Stay with me here. We don't have to change or rush our relationship, just being near you is a comfort I can't be without now. You spoiled me at the hospital. I can't sleep without you now."

The remainder of Aurora's request was whispered into the neck of the man. He thought for a moment and knew he needed to be strong for her. He also would give her whatever she wanted. Severus understood Lucius in a way he never had before. "Of course I'll stay. I'll mention it to Lucius as a courtesy."

They left to pick up some clothing for Aurora and returned to the Manor. Only Lucius and Narcissa were aware of the extra person sleeping their home the final week of the children's break. Those unaware of the sleeping arrangements found nothing odd for Severus to be at breakfast and stay beyond the children's bedtime.

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During the final days of break, Hermione turned her focus to her schoolwork and made what she thought was a reasonable timetable for the rest of the term. It was a bit more than her first year timetable, but her classes were more difficult this year. She didn't feel it was too much, but would show her mum and Narcissa to make sure they agreed. And maybe she'd discuss it with Aurora. Hermione found the professor was an exceptional listener and often had very good suggestions.

Hermione and the boys hadn't discussed the castle or beast during break, they found themselves accepting the adults were doing all they could. The children also found the new school very comfortable in an unexpected way. Hermione thought an announcement would be made about the victims once they returned to school. Having Aurora around and seeing Frank when the Longbottoms visited a few days after the victims were awakened, the children tried to ignore the elephant in the room. In the meantime her plan was to focus on what she could impact and that would be her schoolwork.

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On the last Friday morning of Neville's spring holiday, Frank Longbottom sat on the back porch swing with his wife. After having explained Amelia's proposal the couple took the week to think through the implications. On one hand the wizard wanted to ensure the creature was gone and what was better than to be one to slay it. On the other hand there was his family. Seeing just how broken Neville and Aggie looked nearly made the man cry. While he was petrified, he listened as each member of his family came and spoke about whatever was on their mind that day. After hearing Neville break down and admit how helpless he was, Frank knew he couldn't put himself at risk any longer.

"I don't know what to do Alice. You and the kids are my life, but this could be the last thing I do for the betterment of the wizarding world. If I do this I've decided on my conditions. I know Amelia will agree since it keeps me at the Ministry but if she doesn't agree, it's not like I actually have to work. Tell me what you are thinking. Please love."

Alice Longbottom kept her focus on the gardens and orchards that stretched behind their home. "I honestly don't know. I know how I feel about it but I know you and you'll regret not doing this. I can't let my fears take something so important away from you." Frank pulled Alice closer and inhaled her scent. He had missed it while at the hospital and found himself trying to move toward it while frozen.

"I will wait to see what they have planned and if it is too dangerous, I will step back. I can't do this to my family again. You are more important than anything to me." Alice was more than happy with the arrangement. Both would give up the world for the other and the only reason it hadn't occurred was how well they compromised.

"That sounds good Frank. I think Neville wanted to talk to you about some man-things as he called them. He really stepped up while you were at the hospital. Agnes was her usual self and it was great to see how Neville stood up to her. He needed reassurance after the fact, but I am so incredibly proud of him."

The couple watched Neville as he tended to one of the ancient rosebushes on the property and Aggie as she ran circles on the grass with the family dog chasing her in excitement. Frank knew whatever the decision would be, he would make damn sure he didn't leave his family until death itself came for him.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

After having lunch with his family, Frank arrived at the Ministry and was met with individuals saying how glad they were to see him back. It was a nice feeling but after fifteen minutes and not getting any farther than the middle of the atrium, Frank began to nod and move a bit more briskly to the elevators. Eventually making it and escaped to the floor where the DMLE was housed. He had already seen most of his coworkers so he didn't receive any sort of special welcome, just the normal waves, nods and hellos. Normal was good.

Amelia watched Frank enter and wondered what he had decided. She only hoped she would have her second around beyond today. "Frank, I have a few minutes, let's talk." Amelia entered her office and found Frank closing the door before sitting in the chair beside Amelia. This wasn't an employee employer talk, this was a catch up of sorts. A discussion on the future was the most likely topic.

"Hello Amelia, I have an answer but wasn't sure if you wanted to start off with that or explain what you've all planned a bit more." Amelia always appreciated the way Frank never was one for idle chit chat. With a wave of her hand, she motioned for Frank to begin. She was right, the odds of Frank remaining in the corps were unlikely. But she was pleased to hear he was willing to stay at the Ministry.

"So you have decided to wait until we've discussed what we plan to determine if you will be the individual to slay the beast. Either way you'd like to move to another department where dangerous field work wouldn't be a requirement. I can understand your perspective and am sad you will be leaving our ranks. I had hoped you'd be the one to replace me." With a little shrug the pair laughed.

"No, even if I had stayed, I don't believe I would have taken over for you. I think Robards would suit better for this role, he's better at the political stuff. Then there is Dawlish, he enjoys both aspects of the job as well. Shacklebolt also has great potential. I would almost put him above the others, but he is still quite young and has the ability to learn much from the other two. I don't know where my interest lies now, but with the size and number of departments in the Ministry there must be somewhere who'd want me." Amelia already had a half dozen ideas with almost all of them having approached Amelia about Frank at some point in the last year alone.

"We will figure it out, but now let's discuss the real reason you are here." As Amelia went into what had already been decided, Frank would chime in with a thought here and there. This was why Amelia would regret losing Frank, his perspective was just slightly different and always made the end result better. After a few hours and a modification of the plan, Frank agreed to be the one who would metaphorically face the creature.

Before heading home that evening, Frank contacted Lucius and the pair planned to meet at the "new" school before visiting Hogwarts.

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Sophie and Minerva nervously waited for the two Regents at the main doors to the school. They would floo to Sophie's office at the castle and allow Frank a little time to get a feel for the sword. Neither witch knew Amelia asked Frank until now, but hoped the wizard hadn't been pressured into doing this. Both watched Neville over the course of his father's petrification and knew if Frank were to not return the family would be beyond broken.

"Minerva, I'm not sure about this. Wouldn't be better to just put some explosives in the chamber from the lake entrance and let that take care of it?" Minerva, who laughed at the image, just shook her head.

"No Sophie, I think the Ministry would prefer the castle to not be damaged but with this alternative, maybe destroying the old thing wouldn't be the worst idea. I suspect the sorting hat would agree. Oh, speaking of, I know the thing is going to be chatty today. The speed the children are sorted has bothered me for years and how the castle is set up, unless the children take the initiative, there is little chance for interactions with other students. Severus destroyed those separations so easily and the children took it all with barely batting an eyelash. The hat going to gloat, I know it and am not sure I can handle it." Both witches were now laughing and the tension in the air was slightly less when the men arrived.

Having had taught Frank, Minerva walked up and hugged the man. It may not have been appropriate but in this moment, Minerva couldn't have cared less. "Frank, I know I saw you after you returned home, but I am so glad to have you back." Frank, who was a touch embarrassed, returned the hug lightly and acknowledged Sophie. Lucius, who was never a man to be left out, decided to interject a bit of humor.

"Minerva, I've never been hugged like that as a student, parent or Regent, what's Frank got that I haven't?" Lucius may have swung his hair and smiled at his former professor.

"The list is too long Lucius, just too long. But since we are now here, maybe we should get to what we need to do?" The group arrived at Sophie's office and from there used the floo network to access Sophie's office in the old castle. As for the sorting hat, Minerva was right. The old piece of felt sang about the glories of children playing together, how his opinion hadn't mattered even though it was correct and just how nice it was to not have a sword jammed in its mouth. Minerva simply ignored the hat while the others chuckled.

The group cleared a large space in the office, allowing Frank to spend a couple of hours getting used to the weight and how it felt when he swung it. Lucius watched the cardigan wearing auror with a smile. He'd never seen it personally, but others had mentioned how the demeanor of Frank Longbottom changed depending on the situation. Lucius could see it now, while Frank wasn't as shy as Neville, the elder Longbottom seemed to come into himself at this moment. There was a distinct sense of strength and righteousness settled over Frank's being as he lifted the sword. Minerva watched the scene and came to a surprising conclusion, the only clue was a quiet murmur _'true Gryffindor' _before focusing again on how well Frank handled the sword.

The Sorting Hat was on its shelf watching the man swing the sword and as time passed his movements were more contained, more controlled, stronger, accepting the connection between himself and the sword…the hat watched and saw the sword's sole previous owner with each swing and decided to give the true Gryffindor some pointers on how Godric used it.

It seemed poetic for him to see the sword once more swung by someone who had a connection. The old hat also knew its own time was coming to a close. One of the last things Rowena did before her own end, was to tell the hat about the day its job would be complete. Rowena stated when Godric's sword was passed to the one who was destined to command it, the sorting hat will have completed everything it was designed to do and fade away. It was for the best, nothing is intended to last forever.

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When Frank returned that evening he found his family in the sitting room enjoying Neville's last couple nights at home. Frank took the spot next to Alice and watched his family. After a short while, Frank noticed how the children seemed to move closer the longer they remained in the room. Alice must have noticed it as well when he heard her sigh in sadness. It was only then Frank came to a stark realization.

"I think there are some things we need to discuss as a family." Frank sat on the floor resting his head against Alice's legs and pulling his children next to him. "I had never realized how much my job affected everyone. Your mum and I were talking this morning before I went to the Ministry. We've decided my life as an auror is over, I'm leaving the DMLE. Starting today I'm taking a sabbatical." The children looked to their father with surprise and Neville's smile showed his comprehension at what his father wasn't saying.

"The majority of my time away will spent with all you. Neville, Mr. Malfoy has already set everything up with the headmistress and you'll floo home Fridays and spend a day or two before returning for the week. When I return to the Ministry later this fall, I'll need to do a final few things in the auror department and then I'll be in a new department with no field work. The schedule is simple, nine in the morning to five in the evening, Monday through Friday."

Aggie jumped up not knowing exactly what her daddy had said, but she knew its meaning. "You're not going to sleep for so long any more?" Frank shook his head and held his arms open for his daughter. The little witch jumped into his lap. Frank looked to Neville whose eyes had gone glassy.

"Nev?" The boy only pulled himself closer to his father and held him close. "I'm so sorry Neville. You shouldn't be the head of the family, I'm not ready to give you that title and I hope you don't want it just yet." Neville shook his head and burrowed a bit deeper into his father's robe. "Good, I will say, from what everyone has told me Neville, you represented the family extraordinarily well and I'm so proud of you. I will be proud of you and Aggie forever. Always remember that Neville."

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When Sunday morning dawned the children of Hogwarts were prepared to start their final term. The air of security at Kings Cross was something no one realized was missing until it returned. Parents hugged their children before sending them to their find their friends. The children returned their parent's hug and took off before turning and giving their families a final wave. They would return to this place in a couple of months and begin their summer holidays.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

The arrival at Hogwarts Station No. 2 was easier this time and the students quickly lined up to catch a coach. When the carriages arrived at the school the students were ushered into the hall while the elves ensured their trucks and familiars arrived safely to their respective dorms. The small group of second years who knew what was to come, selected a table closer to the professor's table and waited for the rest of their friends to arrive.

Hermione turned to look at the students and noticed instead of single colors at the smaller tables, they were filled with students from the same year with a mixture of ties. The witch hadn't expected the shift from relying on only housemates would so quickly change to relying on friends. When the last of the students entered the hall, Sophie moved to the front and waited until the final conversations faded into silence.

"Welcome back everyone. There aren't too many announcements this time. I want remind everyone the final weekend for this year's quidditch teams is scheduled for two weeks from yesterday. Saturday will pit Gryffindor against Ravenclaw while Sunday's match will be Slytherin against Hufflepuff. I wanted to mention, not that you probably need to be reminded, Sunday's match will decide which house claims the cup. Whichever house wins Sunday will have the cup in their house until next year. The best of luck to all the teams and I would love to see the entire school out for both games to send our seventh year players off in style."

The hall erupted into cheers and chants of the various houses before Sophie was able to regain their attention. "Two final things, I am incredibly pleased to welcome our own Transfiguration professor, Aurora Messerly, back into the fold." The hall was silent for only a moment until Aurora appeared between Minerva and Severus. The students began to cheer more loudly than they had for the quidditch teams. Having Aurora back would mean the waking potion was a success. It also gave some of the students the hope they would return to the castle next year.

When Sophie started to wave at the students they calmed and looked to the headmistress with an almost uncontrollable sense of anticipation. "As you can see the waking potion was a success and we have our own Professor Snape thank but before we do that, there is one final announcement. I would also like for you to welcome back another missing member of our family." With a flick of her hand everyone's attention turned to one of the tables in the middle of the room. Colin Creevy smiled nervously as the room erupted once again in cheers. As the students from the nearby tables welcomed the muggleborn back with handshakes, hugs and slaps to the back, the professors watched from the high table.

Aurora watched as Colin was welcomed back to the fold like a conquering hero, but she was still overwhelmed at the cheers she received. She hadn't been at the school incredibly long before she was petrified and the reaction she'd received was more than she'd expected. In fact, it was what one of the longer tenured professors would have received, but not for her. "They like and missed you Aurora, everyday I would get questions on how you were. You'll find Hogwarts students are quick to accept if the new person has the support of someone already trusted. The students knew you had my support and saw how you interacted with the rest of the staff."

Aurora sniffed a bit until a handkerchief was pressed into her hand. The man at her side smiled before adding his own thoughts. "I was the same way my first few years. I thought I would have to teach for decades before the students would respect me for my knowledge instead of just being scared. During my second year I came across a young Gryffindor crying behind one of the suits of armor. The boy had mistakenly used the wrong ingredients and not only did his cauldron explode, but as the potion landed in other cauldrons they exploded as well. He was so embarrassed and then his housemates began to berate him. I admit my reaction wasn't the best but I still feel good about it. The rest of the class got a week's detention of cauldron scrubbing for how they treated their housemate."

Minerva shook her head at the memory. "But the boy who caused it, he was given an additional assignment to explain what happened and why the ingredients reacted the way they did. This one act, seemingly behind the scenes quickly spread to the other students. In the end, the entire school knows Severus is a person who will stand up for those who need it." Minerva had actually been quite proud of Severus that day and ended up adding an additional week of detention to the students from her house herself. Aurora smiled and looked to Severus, who was now ignoring Minerva in favor of scowling at some of the students near the professor's table. Aurora waved to the table of second years who excitedly waved back.

"You're not giving those children detention Severus, they are only waving to me." Again Severus realized the truth in Lucius's words, His happiness really was wrapped up in the smiles of Aurora.

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The two weeks leading up to the final match weekend had gone by surprisingly quick. Before Hermione knew it, she was wrapping herself in her scarf and heaviest cloak before pulling a beanie on her head. She had studied one extra hour every other day and was exactly where she wanted to be in order to enjoy the next two days of games. Hermione looked at the bed next to hers and saw Daphne putting her gloves in the pockets of her cloak. "Ready Hermione?" At the witch's nod, the girls walked out and toward the common room. And found three young wizards waiting, Draco, Blaise and Neville were huddled discussing their thoughts on the day's tilt. Harry, Theo, and the other second years who were playing left for the pitch two hours earlier to get prepared. The rest of the Gryffindor second years must have already left for the stadium as well. There was a distinct lack of noise related to two Gryffindor particular wizards. Seamus, who would have left with the team, was generally just a loud kid and his best friend Dean had become deeply devoted to quidditch.

"Let's go, I don't want to sit at the top of the bleachers, it will take forever to get out once it's over." Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and the pair were followed by the remaining second years. The stands were almost completely full but the small group was lucky to find seats saved for them. Turning to Dean, Hermione thanked him before sliding into the seat next to where Draco would sit momentarily.

The match was a bit less exciting than either of the teams wanted but Dean still lost his voice screaming for the lions during the ninety minute game. Hermione still likened it to the football games she watched with her father, at least this game didn't have bonus time. She smiled at Draco who had spent the match focusing on the two pairs of beaters. Both teams beaters were second years and Marcus wanted to add a seeker's perspective to his schemes and so Draco spent the entire game watching and commenting on what they were doing. Pleased his the captain respected his thoughts this much, Draco wasn't going to miss a thing. While his focus was on the game, his hand remained entwined with Hermione's and every so often he'd squeeze her fingers. She'd giggle lightly and return the gesture.

As the game continued, Draco noticed the beaters only had a few moves and there were a limited number of combinations in what they could do. When the game had been going for thirty minutes, Draco split his focus between the beaters, in case they did something unexpected, and Hermione. The couple discussed a number of things including if Draco was nervous about the game tomorrow, he wasn't at the moment but maybe later. If Severus would do something when the student rumors of his relationship with Aurora reached his ears, probably not but none of the children in Malfoy Manor were going to mention anything for fear of detentions until the end of term. If either of their parents had mentioned anything about what was going on at the castle, no from both of them. When Harry caught the snitch, those in scarlet cheered loudly while the group in blue moaned. Once both teams were on the ground the whole stadium cheered for the two teams.

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Sunday morning was a bit warmer and the students were slightly less bundled than the day before, Hermione's hat and gloves were in here pocket. Similar to yesterday, Hermione and Daphne were met by the boys who weren't playing that day and as a group they made their way to the stadium. Also similar to Saturday they found Dean had saved a bunch of seats, this day with the help of Seamus. Again Hermione thanked her friend and sat in the same seat only this time Harry was next to her.

Draco was standing just behind the locker room and was able to see where his friends were seated. Hermione in the same seat as yesterday with Harry sitting on side and Theo on the other gave the blond wizard one less thing to worry about. As he began his warm ups, Draco's mind drifted into the special zone where quidditch was his only focus. Taking his last couple breaths of fresh air, Draco grabbed his broom and met his team as they exited the locker room.

Marcus looked to his young seeker and saw him focused, it was really all Marcus hoped to see. While the 'puffs had the school behind them, Marcus truly believed his snakes were the better team. It would be down to how the teams reacted when it counted. His team had one other second year in the line up besides Draco. The girl was quite the chaser and hopefully it might throw the 'puffs for a short while.

Marcus's plan had worked better than he thought. Not only were the badger beaters unsure about sending bludgers her way, their chasers didn't attack the quaffle with quite the same ferocity. While the 'puffs were staggering to find their footing, the Slytherin team was taking advantage and scoring as many point as possible. They wanted to give their seeker a cushion. He was a second year against an older wizard who'd been in these types of games before.

Draco was so focused on finding that little bit of gold he did't notice the crowd cheering the goals scored or when a bludger came quite close to his head. The only person to break into a portion of Draco's game was the opposing seeker. Not having seen Cedric make any move, Draco released a breath knowing they were still on equal ground. While goals continued to be scored, Draco slowly circled the pitch until something caught his eye. It wasn't gold but Hermione's bracelet. She was waving wildly at him and when she knew she had his attention, she subtly pointed straight up and to the right. Looking in that same direction Draco saw what she was trying to tell him.

Draco suddenly was ascending faster than he ever had. His focus never wavered from the little wings of the snitch as they began to flutter in preparation to escape only to calm once it felt the flesh of the wizard who caught it. Draco sat on his broom with the snitch in his hand and finally heard the cheers around him. Before he started his descent Cedric appeared beside him.

"Great catch Draco. I hadn't seen it until the moment you caught it. You guys deserve the cup, this team is stacked and looked almost professional compared to the rest of us." As Cedric began to turn he stopped and looked back. "I'm the captain next year, expect a tougher time if you want the cup again," With a cheery wave, the 'puff joined his team on the pitch.

"Malfoy, come on man, we are waiting for you!" With his team waiting, Draco joined his teammates for a celebratory fly around before landing and congratulating their opponents for putting up a good battle. The new chaser, one Pansy Parkinson, was celebrated with the rest of the team. Draco hadn't been totally sold on her addition but couldn't deny how well she flew. He had never seen it growing up, and wondered what else he didn't know about his other childhood friends.

That night at dinner, the Slytherin team was announced as the winner of the house cup and awarded five hundred house points as a result. While the dorms and tables were gone, the students still represented their houses and the battle for the house cup was almost as intense as the quidditch cup.

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After the final match, the students quickly fell into their daily routines with their thoughts slowly turning toward the exams signaling the start of summer. Hermione noticed how the fifth and seventh year students were more intent in their habits than the other years and was reminded why when Draco dropped in the seat next to her. "Harry'll be here soon. Needed to nap." Draco's eyes fluttered shut and his head hit the table with a thunk. Shaking her head, Hermione moved him into a more comfortable position with her cloak under his head and studied on her own for a bit before Harry showed up.

"You look slightly better than Draco but it was almost too close to call. Why are you both so tired?" Harry stretched a few times before sitting across from Hermione at the table she'd commandeered in a quiet corner of the library.

"OWLS, Severus set up some study sessions for his fifth year classes, we were invited to attend. It was intense. I think we held our own but we were at it until curfew and then again first thing this morning. After four more hours, they moved to the session on transfiguration and we left." Harry's head started to lean precariously to the side before he began to fall to the floor. Hermione transfigured on of Draco's quills into a pillow and got it under Harry's head before it hit the ground.

"That was quite impressive, 50 points to Gryffindor for saving your friend from a most certain concussion." Hermione smiled as Aurora sat in the seat most recently next to Harry. "I assume their naps are a result of the study session Severus mentioned last night?"

"Yes, they didn't mention them to me so I was unaware until Draco showed up and immediately fell asleep. Harry showed up just a few moments ago and didn't last much longer than Draco. I need to set them down and talk about being over zealous." Aurora let a laugh escape at Hermione's deadpan comment. "I take it Professor Snape has informed you on my tendency to go overboard?"

"Yes, but his intensions were pure. He liked the idea of having a second set of eyes on you." At Hermione's narrowing eyes, Aurora tried a different angle. "He is fairly confident Sophie is going to allow students to be advanced as the professors see fit. That means I'll be teaching you three next year with the incoming fourth years. He wanted me to really get to know you each before taking over from Minerva." This Hermione accepted as reasonable.

"I'm sure that wasn't the only reason, but I'll accept it. According to Draco I need as many trustworthy people looking out for me as I can get. I don't think it's quite that bad, but I am a bit naive on a lot of things in this world. I've come to rely on the Malfoys to help guide me." Aurora saw the girl Severus had described. She was incredibly intelligent but was one to accept a lot of things on face value.

"I'd given them another thirty minutes and if they don't seem wake, send them to bed and start again after lunch. Studying when this exhausted is pointless, good luck and I'll see you later." Hermione glanced at the clock and decided to check on them at eleven.

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_**A/N: I thought Severus (and you all) deserved a little insight into how the Severus/Aurora story unfolded. Since it wasn't important to the plot until now, it wasn't mentioned. ;).**_


	17. Chapter 17

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After the students returned to Hogwarts for the spring term, those not at the school were focused on their own lives. Narcissa had continued to think on her desire to educate the youngest of the wizarding world and how she'd succeed. Jean, having heard of Narcissa's plans, spent many hours of her own thinking what muggle topics the students would find the most useful and enjoyable.

Lucius and Rich found their company to be in demand by private citizens wishing to purchase a variety of products. While the demand was so high, the expanded product line included smaller variations of all items for use in homes along with a wish list for items not listed but desired. It was starting to resemble the old muggle catalogs from department stores, as it included a little of everything.

Regulus continued to revamp the Black legacy, he always said it was to give Hermione the best opportunity when she moved into the role as Head of House, but most saw it as the last act of dying tree to provide fertile soil for the seedling. Kreacher took every opportunity to berate Regulus for some failing and every night the pair would sit together discussing the best insults from earlier in the day.

Frank Longbottom found himself unable to sleep a full night, after five hours the wizard would wake with no ability to return to his slumber. Instead of wasting the extra time, Frank requested a replica sword to be created. It didn't need to be gold and have jewels, but he wanted it to be the same length, weight and balance points. For hours each morning Frank would wield the fake sword, knowing all his practice would feel useless once the real sword was back in his hands. As the sun start to rise each morning, Frank would roam the halls of the manor in Leeds searching for something unknown.

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Amelia Bones and the rest of the DMLE spent their spring preparing for the day the beast would be confronted. The unspeakables made massive strides in charming the mirror and were fairly close to providing the finished product for final testing.

Other areas of research were also starting to return results. After nearing six months of discussions with foreign ministries and obtaining reams of historic parchment from them, the DMLE had hit on a way to kill the beast without a thousand plus year old broadsword. Not that those researching the documents knew about the gilded sword. In a report from the Greek ministry related to a basilisk event in the late eighteenth century, a new curse was created and it worked in destroying the beast. With no other detail, the researchers spent the early months of the new year combing through reports of altered curses and their effects paid off when they identified a very strong contender.

The report on the modified curse surprised Amelia and gave her enough detail in order to discuss it with her Greek counterpart. The meeting was quite fruitful and it gave the DMLE the backup plan they needed.

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Charles Vane continued to visit the merpeople of Black Lake. Clyte had asked for regular updates on what the Ministry had found. Each time Charles had to admit there didn't seem to be any evidence to support what Adamaris said, but the wizard swore to continue his search. Additionally, Charles brought news of another sort. Recently his thoughts had wondered to how Adarmaris survived and during discussions with his healer friend, the men wondered if it had something to do with scales. Charles explained how the Healer asked for a few scales from a number of merpeople to study them. In addition, there is a group of healers tasked with tracking magic spells and thought the scales may hold the secret in how to defend against the killing curse. If there was, the boys who had perished would be remembered by the magical world as their sacrifice allowed others to survive. It wasn't long before a line of merpeople donated a few of their scales.

Once a month a small group of merpeople met Wizard Oliver and they would inspect the secondary entry. Each time it was evident Clyte's strengthening ritual had neither failed nor been broken. After each inspection, Wizard Oliver would thank the entirety of the pod and wish them the best.

Early in the spring, Adamaris and Avalon, the mermaid who had loved the merman since they were children, marked the auspicious season as a couple in love were aught. Their children would be part of the largest batch of new merchildren since the attack. The need for vengeance seemed to have been quelled and the pod returned to what the fates always wanted for them.

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But there were others, outside of Hogwarts, who didn't spend their spring days on such fanciful things. No, their days were spent plotting and planning. Finding ways to right the wrongs of their treatment by the wizarding world. It would take time, but they would gain their revenge, their ultimate goals would be attained.

Those at Hogwarts remained focused on the near term, most notably their exams. The professors, who only had to help students revise and grade tests, started to look to the summer with wistful goals. Most would spend time catching up on new advances in their subjects and visiting places other than the Scottish Highlands.

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For Severus, his summer would be brewing a potion requested by the Ministry. This second potion was quite mysterious as he had only been provided a list of ingredients and the related preparation instructions. The request and documentation were provided before the spring holiday, but with it came the instruction until the victims of the basilisk were revived it was not to be started. Severus had no intention to give the second potion any time until he had Aurora warm and in his arms again. Since confirming their relationship, Severus found himself more at ease and able to focus more intensely than before. Minerva hadn't thought it possible until she saw the wizard in action.

The mystery potion, in addition to having no information on its purpose, did not identify the expected results or any known side effects. As a master in the craft, Severus began to list the known side effect of each ingredient. Once that was completed he added any side effects from combinations of the ingredients. As he reviewed the preparation of the ingredients, the list of side effects was updated once more based on how the preparation affected the ingredients. Finally, he reviewed brewing instructions and identified additional side effect. The list was sorted with the most probable first with the other identified effects listed in decreasing order of severity.

As for the expected results, that was still a mystery. Severus had a few theories based on how the ingredients historically react when brewed in other potions. The wizard found himself quite intrigued with the ingredients required for the potion and the plants required but not used in the potion itself. Luckily everything on the list were in Pomona's greenhouse and given how late in the year it was, all should be mature enough for harvesting.

As Severus reviewed, the potion master became aware how many of the plants were on the list of items grown at the school but never used. That was something he would think on later, at the moment he needed to contact Pomona and schedule a time for them to determine if all ingredients were readily available. It took almost another week before the professors found a time where they both were free for a few hours. After providing Pomona a copy of what was required, they discussed preparation methods and what exactly Severus would need.

After their initial discussion, the pair spent the next week reviewing each ingredient and the preparation when they found time. On the following Sunday, both professors were again free and used the time to select the most perfect specimens. The instructions were quite specific on how each was to be prepared and Severus noted none of the items used during brewing would be fresh. Until Severus was able to determine the purpose of the potion, he would not be able to test if it could be more effective with a different form of preparation or fresh ingredients.

When the pair reached the quite rare variation of the mimbulus mimbletonia, they realized it was not yet fully mature. The plant would take at least a month to reach the start of maturation and Severus calculated the ideal maturity would be three weeks after that. With time on their hands, Severus began to prepare the ingredients requiring a set aging duration with the goal of brewing the potion at the beginning of the summer.

As May's flowers began to sprout, Severus and Pomona were again in the greenhouse. After some research into the various uses of the ingredients, Severus had found some commonality and began to draw his own conclusions on the purpose of the potion. After providing Pomona with his findings, the pair discussed Severus's theory and after an hour or so Pomona found herself agreeing with her counterpart. If Severus was correct, the pair found themselves reviewing what they had already completed. Both professors would accept nothing but perfection now.

Severus found his feelings of loneliness while in his lab lacking when Aurora would sit at the desk either grading papers or reading a new journal. She didn't need to be entertained and he couldn't have distractions. The pair already understood what the other needed, it didn't surprise them to find even when they didn't talk continually, the evenings spent together in the lab produced many fond memories.

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After the boys initial failure at studying without her, Hermione refused to let them get too focused on only their potions OWL. When the boys reminded her how she acted the year before, her retort was to remind them she focused on every topic. With the wind out of their sails, the boys allowed their study-loving friend to direct their plans. Each weekday when they didn't have an evening class, the boys spent the hour before dinner either reviewing their Potion notes or quizzing each other. The remainder of time before curfew was spent alternating between the other courses. The boys found the routine to be helpful in not feeling burned out on any individual subject. On the weekend they would select one of the potion study sessions and spend four hours reviewing methods and specific potions. Once that session was over the remainder of the day was focused on the other core classes.

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As with the mid-year tests, Regulus took up the mantel of professional game show host by providing the second year students a focused study session. The format was the same with each of the professors providing a list of questions related to the main topics learned with more detailed questions on the areas the test would cover. After the mid-year tests, the second years discovered the more detailed the study questions, the more likely the topic would be covered intensely on the test.

As each Sunday passed the children became more and more focused knowing their window was slowly coming to an end and soon it would be completely closed.

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The students were, of course, correct and suddenly they were receiving their testing timetables. The stress became more evident on everyone. Hermione and Blaise while studying their own courses were also focused on their best friends. The Potions OWL was scheduled for the first day of exams, first thing in the morning, Draco commented about at least it would be over they'd not have to worry. Their nervousness resulted in them having difficulty in focusing, Hermione sighed when the boys again were again staring into space.

"Ok, you both need to understand something. Are you paying attention to me?" The two startled wizards turned and found Hermione looking quite displeased. Tilting her head to the side, Hermione waited until both acknowledged her question and were focused on her. "I know Severus has told you this, but I'm going to say it again. You are both ready for this test, you've studied for almost an entire year and you know this stuff. I've been asking you questions for the last two weeks and you've both answered them without hesitation. Every answer was correct."

Draco shook his head and opened his mouth to reject her attempts to calm them. Hermione shook her head fiercely and continued to speak. "Severus gave me those questions, they are questions from previous OWL. They don't repeat the same questions, true, but he told me they are always similar. When I let him view my memories of your answers, he said each answer completely answered the question and on quite a few you would have received extra points for additional information you provided."

The boys blinked a few times, still refusing to believe the overzealous witch in front of them. "You. Are. Ready." With a firm look, Hermione held eye contact with each boy until they began to relax a little. "Good, you've been so stressed, I haven't been able to get too stressed with my studying. So grab your Charms stuff and we will study that now. Then Transfiguration for our second year tests before our second year Potions test. Once the first week of testing is complete we can start preparing for Herbology, DADA, the advanced Transfiguration test and I'll start on my extra potion tests."

Draco was surprised at how easy it was for him to slip into freaking out about his OWL. He understood Hermione a bit more and slipped his hand into hers. "Thanks Hermione, I know I needed that." Hermione smiled brightly at the pair. Blaise quietly chuckled at the show and pulled out his Charm book and notes. "Quiet Blaise, who knows what mum has planned for you this summer. For all you know, you might be taking advanced classes as well." Draco gave his friend a fake glare before smiling.

"Cissy sent me some questions the other day on what I'd like to do. I think it's going to be similar to what you do with Lucius. I'm not sure about the classwork, I'm not as quick as you three, so it might be difficult to get through third year stuff in three months." He shrugged a little before opening his notes.

"We'll work it out Blaise, after doing the third year Transfiguration I doubt you'll have any difficulty getting through it in three months, it's easier when it's just us and Professor McGonagall doesn't have to mind everyone else. I don't know about potions. Professor Snape may not want to add a third potions class to his summer schedule. Especially with Professor Messerly in play now." The second years chuckled as they each remembered how Severus had reacted when he heard the rumors.

Harry, who had witnessed it first hand as he had been asking some questions on that week's potion, loved to recount the story. "I have never seen the man stunned into silence. He just stood there as those sixth years passed the room. When the one said she was so jealous Professor Messerly had gotten there first, I thought he was going to pass out." Harry couldn't continue as his laughs overtook his ability to speak.

"Mr. Potter, I'm glad you found so much humor in that. It seems you'll be spending some extra time in the dungeons for the next week. Maybe you'll hear something else and think how it would have been better if you'd told me what was being said in the halls." Harry didn't turn and only dropped his head.

"Of course Professor Snape. What days and when would you like me to attend?" Severus smiled behind Harry catching the attention of Hermione and Draco who were facing him. Harry was getting nervous on how many hours of studying he'd lose.

"Every night, two hours and bring the rest of the table with you." At gasps of those at the table, Severus looked and smirked. "Thirty minutes of scrubbing cauldrons will do and then you will each study for the remaining ninety minutes. Over the summer we will discuss when you should and shouldn't inform your professors of rumors. Yes?" The students nodded and returned their focus to their notes. "Good I will see you all at dinner. This starts tomorrow night."

As Severus swept away from the students, they heard the giggle of someone else. When Hermione looked she found the eavesdropper. "Professor Messerly?" The witch, who had been eavesdropping, waved and continued to laugh until she too heard a clearing of a throat behind her.

"Ah, Professor Messerly, I've been looking for you. It seems you also find the situation amusing. I guess you'll also be spending extra time in the dungeons as well. Arrive after dinner this evening." With a smirk that Lucius would be proud of, Severus again swept from the table. This time the wizard was excited about the prospect of detention.

Aurora watched the wizard leave and smiled wickedly. "You know, it didn't take long for those older girls to figure out Sev and I were dating. I wonder how they knew, I mean none of you would have said anything. Just an interesting question really, doubt we will ever find out. I guess I need to prepare for after dinner." With a wink, their Transfiguration Professor left the students.

The boys all blinked at what they had just seen. Hermione's nose twitched as she thought about the exchange. "Yeah, that was something I didn't need to hear right now. Ok, so Charms." Hermione refused to think about it and got the boys back on topic as well. When dinner rolled around, all noticed just how pleased Severus appeared and how excited Aurora was. They didn't dwell long on those thoughts.

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The detentions were merely an excuse for Severus to quiz each child and make sure they were focused on the correct areas. Was it unfair to others, probably, but Severus had taken these four children under his wing and considered them to be his. And children of masters or professors typically had the additional support, so it was fine.

By the time of the Potion OWL exam, Draco and Harry had worked themselves up again. Hermione did her best to calm them down but nothing seemed to work. When Daphne heard her friend complaining, the blonde witch came up with an idea for the morning of the exam. It was surprising but after thinking on it for a moment, Hermione agreed it would work. After breakfast, the girls offered to walk Draco and Harry to the room where the written portion of the Potions OWL would occur, to show their support. Neither of the girls had a test for an hour and the boys needing the support readily agreed.

Neither boy noticed how the girls directed the pace so Daphne and Harry ended up almost a flight of steps ahead of Hermione and Draco. When the lagging pair reached the basement, the pair in the lead had disappeared. Hermione pulled Draco to a stop and held his face. "I believe in you." Hermione leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.

"You will rock this test." This time her lips lingered for a second or two before she pulled back. Draco's eyes had gone wide and his arms rested on her hips.

"I will be waiting when you are done." She leaned in for a third time and pressed herself firmly against Draco. When their lips met this time Draco was ready and pulled her even closer to him. His head tilted to the side while hers went the other way. This kiss was more intense than any they had shared. When it broke, Hermione rested her forehead against Draco's. "Go and take that test. No rushing, I'll wait for you. It doesn't matter how long it takes Draco, I'll wait". Hermione pulled herself from his arms and pushed him toward the classroom. Blowing him a kiss, Draco grabbed it and put it in his pocket.

"For later thank you. I'm ready." He turned and made his way to the room with a bit of swagger. After he'd disappeared Hermione ran her finger over her lips. She was surprised at the final kiss but she wouldn't change it. She only broke from her thoughts at the sound of Daphne's chuckle.

"He liked it huh?" Hermione nodded and raised an eyebrow to her friend. "Let's just say Mr. Potter was in a similar state to Mr. Malfoy just now. But I'll tell you this, our kiss was no where near as hot as yours with Draco. Damn Hermione." The girls giggled as they went to grab their bags and went toward their first exam.

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When the final exam of the year was finished, there were three who were still studying. None of them were quite as nervous as they had been two weeks earlier. Hermione discovered how easily Draco could be calmed with the right motivation. They had repeated the same ritual before each exam and found themselves looking forward instead of dreading each one. Harry chuckled but couldn't help but agree with his best friends. When Daphne had kissed him, he was shocked. Shouldn't he have been the one to initiate the kiss? But at the end of the day, it didn't matter, he'd been kissed by the prettiest witch in the school.

Deciding to not publicize their new relationship stage, Harry and Daphne loved the secrecy of it. In fact, they decided to hold off on telling anyone other than their three closet friends until they could talk over the summer. But that didn't stop Harry from finding Daphne and brushing his lips over hers in a similar fashion to what she'd given him. Their kisses never reached the intensity of their friends, but it didn't matter, it was enough for them.

The two couples weren't really noticed since nothing had changed in how the other students perceived them. Everyone knew Hermione had accepted Draco's gift, so it was just a matter of time and while it was obvious they were getting closer, none realized how close they were. Daphne and Harry had been friends and were constantly seen walking together. Since no one had seen their kisses, there were no rumors about them either. Blaise was the only person outside of the four to know exactly what was going on.

The five friends were sitting outside while Harry, Hermione and Draco were studying for the Transfiguration test they'd take as soon as they returned to the Manor. Blaise sighed loudly for the third time in as many minutes. Daphne looked up with a curious expression. "Something on your mind Blaise?" The Italian wizard shook his head sadly and sighed again.

"Oh for Merlin's sake Blaise, tell Daphne what's on your mind so we can keep studying. Whatever it is, we will figure it out soon. We only have a few more days until these tests start." Draco glared at his friend while Hermione slipped her hand into his. "Sorry Blaise, I'm a bit stressed." The other wizard only chuckled and leaned toward Daphne.

"It's really nothing, I'm just a bit jealous those two already have a witch. Hermione is like a sister to me and you've been growing into a similar role. Draco and Harry are pretty good blokes so I'm not jealous of who they are with, just they are with someone." Smiling the witch turned back to Blaise.

"You realize we are still kids right? Draco and Harry are still twelve. None of us are planning our weddings. That's not to say somewhere down the line it won't happen. It's just, this was so natural." Her explanation tapered off, she didn't know how to explain it.

"Oh I know Daph, it's not that. It's just sort of, I would like someone to hold my hand like those two do. Or have someone to talk to about important or not so important stuff. You know, like you and Harry. Maybe I'm a bit lonely."

Hermione perked up and looked at the pair whose tests were over. "You're not alone Blaise. Not anymore, I'm your sister and once I find a witch who is worthy of you, I'll personally introduce you. Until then, if you want to talk come find me." Smiling at her friend she felt a tug on her hand and looked to Draco.

"You can't hold her hand or kiss her Blaise." Draco thumbed the charm bracelet a bit protectively. "But all of us are around and are here for you. Yeah?" Blaise shook his head at his friend's possessive nature, but couldn't help but laugh.

"No worries Draco, no offense Hermione, but I really do see you more like family than anything else. I doubt kisses are something I'd need." The five laughed before three turned back to their studies and the other settled against the tree and started to discuss their summer plans.

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The children of Malfoy Manor found it somewhat annoying they had to take the Express to Kings Cross only to then apparate to where they had been before boarding the train. None of the adults, parent or professor, would be moved and as such, the children found themselves settled in a carriage with other group of second years in the one across the hall. Hermione had just returned from hearing about what Neville's family was going on a vacation. She did miss that, she and her parents used to take a holiday every summer. Once she'd been accepted at Hogwarts those had stopped.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Draco, ever aware of her emotions, whispered when she returned to her seat.

"Nothing really, Neville was telling me about the holiday his family was going to take and I realized how much I missed the holidays I took with my parents. It's been a few years but I doubt we'll do anything this summer either." Hermione set her head on Draco's shoulder. Draco slipped his arm over his witch's shoulder and held her. He'd have to speak with his parents and then maybe Rich and Jean.

When the announcement stating they would be arriving at Kings Cross in ten minutes, the second year students, began to return to the carriages with their things and put everything they'd pulled out away. As the Express slowed and pulled into the station, the couples found themselves next to each other and led their friends onto the platform.

Each found their families and with a bit of speed the platform was again empty.

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Frank Longbottom hadn't had this much trouble sleeping since he was a child. His dreams then involved a great warrior and fueled his desire to be the same. As he grew and told people he wanted to be a warrior, the adults gave him a smile and pat on the head. Everyone told him they lived in better times. Times when warriors were no longer needed. In his heart he knew they were wrong and he would be a warrior.

At Hogwarts he never mentioned his dream and waited for some sign. The wait turned out to not be as long as Frank had thought, at the end of his fourth year the class was given the opportunity to think what they wanted to do after graduating. To help, the school brought in a large number of adults who spoke of their professions and what a student would need if they wanted to be a whatever. After listening to all the adults explain their jobs, Frank found an auror was as close as he was going to get to a warrior. What other job allowed you to battle evil and save fair ladies? None.

On this particular morning, a morning that was no different from any other morning, it held no significance to the wizarding world or to the wizard who found himself again awake while his wife slumbered next to him. Hoping Alice's rhythmic breathing would lull him to sleep, Frank remained still and savored the peace in the moment. After thirty minutes, Frank slipped from the warm bed planning to practice a bit more with the sword. Instead of going straight to the large empty room at the far end of the house, he wandered the halls again feeling the need to search for something. To find something. He just wished he knew what it was. Again, he felt something drawing him away but he couldn't sense the direction and if pressed, Frank would say it felt as if he were being pulled in two different directions. All in all, Frank was frustrated by the time he entered the gallery of ancestors.

The portraits watched the head of house intently, the oldest ones of the lot had a very pleased look on their faces. These are the men who had waited so long and it appeared now was the time foretold all those centuries before. The oldest portrait, the man acclaimed as the first Longbottom, hadn't interacted with his descendants since his own grandson crossed over. It had been Woden Longbottom who moved the family from their traditional home in the west country further north into areas yet to be fully inhabited. As the generations passed the family became less aware of their history. By the time the area came to be called Leeds, the connection to the west country was well and truly lost.

Frank, being so far removed from the first Longbottom, had never spoken to his ancient ancestor since the man never spoke. For quite a few years Frank wondered if the oldest portraits were muggle or if the magic imbued had faded. He'd had always felt a deep connection to those older ancestors as they were what he always wanted to be, warriors of the highest rank. The more recent portraits spoke of their times with great fondness while nothing was ever said of glories in the further past.

Frank had always seen a resemblance between portraits. For example, he and his father were remarkably similar, while Frank's grandfather had a different chin, nose and eye shape. But when Frank compared his father and grandfather, they too had a strong resemblance. Frank looked at each ancestors portrait slowly. There was something similar about each, but nothing definite. He chastised himself for a bit before starting over, he was still the second in command of the aurors corps for Merlin's sake. He had made it about ten generations before he stopped again and thought to start over. It was only then he noticed what had been bothering him since he was a child.

Each portrait was at the same time a father and son. The father and son were almost identical, but when Frank compared the son to the grandfather, he immediately identified multiple differences. The son to the great-grandfather further lost the resemblance until you reached the fifth generation when the son looked nothing like his distant ancestor. Frank continued to look at the ancient ancestors of the Longbottom family and when he reached the first Longbottom, Frank drew in a shuttering breath. "It can't be."

The portrait, who had not moved for over seven hundred years smiled at his many great times grandson. "I think you'll find it is quite possible. When I was born, it was easy to hide parentage. I was given this name and told to continue on the quest my father started." The portrait brushed his hand over a locket with a very familiar crest and Frank watched as it popped open. Only then did Frank understand.

"I guess that explains quite a bit. Thank you, I think I know now. Will I have a guide?" The portrait cocked his head and thought about the question before looking to other portraits.

"When was the story lost? Which of you didn't know before crossing over?" Slowly the most recent portraits raised their hands and as more of the family raised their hands as well the oldest Longbottom sighed at how long the family had been in the dark. Tisking at the other portraits, Frank watched as the mildly upset portrait closed the locket and put it under his shirt. "Your dreams have always been your guide Frank. Trust them. Follow them. You will know what you need at the right time."

For the first time since he returned home, Frank returned to bed and slept without waking. When he woke to see Alice's smiling face he returned the gesture. When she asked what changed, Frank's enigmatic smile gave her pause until he detailed his dream with more clarity than he ever remembered having.

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_**A/N: Happy New Year to everyone...may 2020 be prosperous giving you all health and happiness. Next week is the last chapter for this year. **_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Happy New Year.**_

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While the children were enjoying their shortened train ride, Severus set about preparing his workbench at Malfoy Manor to best optimize the space. Before he started anything he worked through the entire brewing process multiple times until he was comfortable. This potion would be one of the most complex he'd brewed in quite a few years. Given how late in the day it was, Severus knew he would be awake half the night if he started now. He also realized the children under his tutelage could learn quite a bit about what the life of a potion master truly entailed prior to beginning the brewing process. They wouldn't be in the lab when the actually brewing occurred, as he would need complete focus. While they wouldn't observe the brewing, they could watch how deliberate and methodical a potion master had to be in the run up.

For his part, Lucius agreed it would be good learning experience and the potion would wait a couple of days in order for the children to take their final exams. The morning after Hermione's third year Potion exam all four children would spend time in the lab. The pair chuckled at how the boys would react, summer work always started the week after they returned from Hogwarts. The elder wizards were sure the boys would complain about not having a break this summer.

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The third year Transfiguration exam was difficult but not impossible. Hermione was upset during the practical when Professor McGonagall assigned her the Lapifors spell instead of Draconifors. Hermione spent a bit of time perfecting the spell and now could transfigure the target object into a variety of dragons. With a bit of a sad sigh, Hermione transfigured the tea cup into a rabbit and directed it to hop around the room. After having the rabbit return to the table, Hermione returned it to the tea cup. She got extra points since the rabbit hadn't left any waste in the room. Hermione wondered what sort of points she could have gotten if she'd been assigned the other spell and asked what sort of dragon the Professor would prefer. A rabbit is a rabbit.

The boys chuckled at her complaints after knowing she really wasn't that upset. Professor McGonagall took pity and a bit of her time after the test to observe what Hermione could do with Draconifors and commented on just how well she did. That was enough for Hermione who then turned to her final exam the next day. The next day, after lunch, Severus ushered her into the lab and with a bit of pleasure he shut the door in the face of Draco as he attempted to follow the young witch.

"You know Miss Granger, it seems you have a second shadow. I haven't seen him like this since he was trying to get Lucius to buy him his first real broom." Hermione smiled and realized her professor told her the story to break the stress evident in her eyes. "You'll do fine. Just like the boys. Don't tell them, I have their scores and they easily made the necessary grade. I have the same faith in you. Now sit and we will begin with the written portion." Like that Hermione began her final exam and found she was no longer worried.

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Jean expected to wake Hermione the first morning of summer only to find the witch sitting at the breakfast table reading a book. "Morning Sweetheart, what book is that?" Hermione smiled at her mum and marked her place with the bookmark Draco gave her.

"It's one from Cissy, supposedly it's a text from a wizarding finishing school. I wondered how they differed from what muggle finishing schools taught. So far the differences aren't too much. I think this would be a school I'd fail mum. It's just…". Hermione paused to try and think what she wanted to say.

"I understand. I was the same way, just too driven, your aspirations don't match the school's goals. Cissy was telling me her mum tried to force her to attend instead of finishing Hogwarts. Needless to say it didn't go over well." The Granger women laughed at the mere thought Narcissa Malfoy would drop out of school. "She's pretty set on starting a primary school for young witches and wizards. I think I'm going to help out. It feels right." Jean shrugged in a way Hermione recognized.

"You'll both do great mum. Those kids couldn't be luckier than to have the pair of you." Hermione tucked into her breakfast pleased with herself, rarely got to give her mum a pep talk. Jean shook her head and filled her own plate.

"Today you are spending the morning at the Manor in the lab. Severus wants to show the group of you something. Lucius thought it would be a good idea and it's not like you'd reject the chance to listen to a professor speak." Jean smirked at her daughter who shrugged back at her mum. "Good, once you're finished go get ready and I'll meet you by the floo. Oh, your dad went over earlier to meet with Lucius, apparently one of their projects is working splendidly and they are plotting now."

Hermione laughed at her mother's face. "They are plotting to take over the world again aren't they?" Jean could only nod.

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After ushering the children, who acted as if they hadn't seen each other in years not the hours it had been, to the lab, the adults sat around the table and broke into various conversations about the next couple of weeks. The mums were quietly placing bets on how the quartet would react when they were told.

In the lab, the children settled in their seats before Severus spent an hour discussing ingredients and how he determined what specimen to use. He detailed why the perfect leaf may not be the perfect ingredient if the preparation included the stem. By looking ahead and seeing how the item would be used, the brewer can find the best option for the specific potion.

Hermione was focused on each ingredient and why it would work for this potion but not another one. Harry and Draco had been through this lecture before but this was a real world application and Severus rarely allowed them to watch. Blaise would admit to being a bit lost; while in the advanced potions track, he hadn't been exposed to the work done beyond second year. After seeing how focused the other three were, he too decided to see what he could pick up for the future.

It was lunch by the time Severus released the small group. Starting this particular potion would be the most crucial step. After ensuring all his equipment was all within his reach, the ingredients lined up and perfectly portioned, Severus took a few calming breaths before picking up the first ingredient. It took an additional four hours before the potion started its simmer. It needed to remain in this state for two days before the next set of ingredients were added. Placing a spell allowing the potion to simmer but never boil, Severus went upstairs for some much deserved relaxation before a private dinner with Aurora.

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The DMLE final sign-off on the mirror occurred the day the students were released from Hogwarts for their summer break. Amelia and Frank discussed when to put the plan into action and dispatch the creature and since school had just ended, they decided to wait a couple of days as Frank wanted some time with his son first. The weekend visits were fine but Frank wanted some real time. Amelia notified all involved the mission would occur on the following Friday. This also allowed the headmistress and professors to be involved as their responsibilities over the children were finished for a few months.

As the targeted Friday morning dawned, those involved met in the DMLE's largest meeting room. In addition to the individuals from the Ministry, Sophie, the Hogwarts professors and a few of the Regents, were listening intently to the plans for the day.

Amelia stood at the front detailing everyone's role, position and backup. "First we will access the school through the Headmistress's floo and remain in the office until we've received the all clear. We have been monitoring the castle since the second entrance was sealed and have reasonable comfort the basilisk is in the chamber. After the signal we will advance to the washroom and those assigned to the room will enter. The rest will remain in the hall outside prepared to advance if needed."

No one acknowledged the slightly uncomfortable feeling on what _'if needed'_ was and Amelia continued with her instructions. "Once those assigned to the washroom have arrived, the charmed mirror will be positioned and Professor Flitwick has confirmed the other mirrors are reflecting the charmed mirror's image, Gibby will open the original access and call the creature forward. As Gibby opens the chamber, Frank will don the protective goggles and prepare for his assault."

The professors and elf nodded their agreement and turned their attention towards the DMLE Head again. "From the description provided the beast should raise out of the hole as any snake would. Its head will be held high until it has cleared the opening and enough of the body is exposed in order to pull itself out the rest of the way. Frank will move forward while replacing Gibby in front of the entry and watch the charmed mirror. Once the creature is sufficiently exposed, Frank will advance. Should there be any issue, the aurors stationed in the room will take their best shots at the beast. We've learned from the Greeks the last basilisk they encountered was killed with a modified killing curse. There are a few who know this spell and will use it if needed."

The heavy feeling when Amelia said _"if needed"_ pressed more on each person in the room, they hadn't allowed themselves to think too much about the what-if scenarios since it would mean something happened to Frank. "Once the basilisk has been neutralized, Gibby will confirm its death. Our research indicates once a basilisk is dead it is safe to view the body. However, I am leery for anyone to gaze at the beast's head. After discussions with various magical creature experts and potion masters, we've decided for Frank to remove the head and cover the beast's eyes. Once that is done, Severus will begin to prepare the carcass. Due to the rarity of the creature, there are many undocumented uses and it would be a waste to pass this opportunity."

After a few questions and some slight modifications, everyone in the meeting left to prepare. They would meet again at the DMLE floo in four hours.

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Neville sat in his garden trying to think of anything but the fact he could lose his dad again. Aggie didn't really understand, she just knew her daddy had to work today. Frank and Alice sat Neville down after breakfast and explained what would happen later in the day and it took everything in Neville to not break down. Those months between when he'd lost and regained his father had been extremely difficult for him but he survived knowing his dad would be back. After Frank left for the morning, Neville quietly excused himself and remained in the garden all morning.

When Alice stepped out of the house, she pointed toward the garden and waved her hand. Frank saw how broken his boy looked and it killed him. "I'll go talk to him. Hopefully he will understand why this has to be done." Alice sighed knowing how she agreed with Neville but had already allowed Frank to make the ultimate decision. She lifted on her toes and brushed her lips over his cheek. "I'll come find you before I leave. Maybe call Narcissa, see if you and the kids could spend the afternoon there. Lucius will be at the castle."

"That is a good idea Frank. I'll call her now and will probably be in the sitting room when you are done. Bring Neville in with you. It's still too chilly to be out here without a jacket." Alice squeezed Frank's hand once more before heading into the warm house. Frank remained on the back porch for a few minutes watching his son before making his way to the garden.

"Neville" the boy's head spun at hearing his father's voice. Seeing his dad standing, Neville jumped to his feet and met Frank in the middle of the garden. "I think we should talk a little. I don't believe I gave enough time this morning to give you a chance to think. I didn't do it last night, because I wanted you to get a good night's rest, but at the same time this morning has been rushed. I have time before I need to be back and I wanted to spend them here." Neville blinked quickly trying to repress the tears that threatened to fall.

"I don't want you do it dad. I barely hung on after you were first attacked. If you were gone, I don't know what mum or Aggie would do. I'm not ready to take over for you." Frank sighed quietly and held his boy tightly in his arms.

"It's alright to be afraid Neville. When, and I mean it Neville, when I come home tonight we start our life over. The new department closes next week for two weeks to allow families some time together since Hogwarts has just let out. We mentioned it before but as a reminder the family is going to take a bit of a trip. We're heading down to the west country and I think you'll enjoy it." Frank smiled at his son who was still quite upset.

"But today you're still in the DMLE and plan to do something very dangerous. I'm worried." Neville's comments were quiet and Frank almost didn't hear him. "What happens if something goes wrong?"

"We have multiple layers of plans Nev. I will be wearing protective goggles and in the worst case, I am only petrified again. But Professor Snape made extra reviving potion. IF it were to happen I would be home pretty quickly."

Frank wasn't sure if he'd been able to quell his son's concerns at all but he didn't know what else to say. Instead he motioned toward the main part of the garden and the pair began to walk. "This was where I'd walk with you at night when you were fussy. Your mum was so exhausted. As soon as I'd step outside you'd quiet and by the time we passed through the garden gate, you'd be happily gurgling. It never took long for you to fall asleep. I'd bring you in and you'd be good for the rest of the night. I was never more proud than when I watched you find your love in plants. That's your mum's side, your grandfather loved the outdoors. I think it would be a good idea for us to look through his notes and books over the summer after we return home. I bet there are a number of things in there you'd find interesting."

"Thanks Dad. I'm still worried but I'm going to focus on you coming home and the plans for next week. I think mum was worried about me. Maybe we should go in and let her know I'm ok." Frank wrapped his arm around his son's shoulders and gave him a squeeze. Neville always did calm after a good walk in the garden.

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At the designated time, everyone started to make their way to the DMLE offices. Amelia saw Frank return and went to talk with him, instead Frank didn't acknowledge her and went straight toward Lucius Malfoy. Amelia stood back and watched as her (still) second in command shook his head and said something again to Lucius. All Amelia could see was Lucius Malfoy's resigned look and him say _I swear_ before Lucius and Frank grabbed the other's arm. Amelia, always sensitive to magic, felt the wave when the oath was completed.

Amelia didn't know what Lucius had sworn to do, but as she continued forward Frank stood taller and turned back toward her. "Amelia, I believe it is time to get this started. Sophie will go first and I will follow. I need to prepare for a bit." She could only nod while Frank turned back toward Lucius, "thank you" and made his way to Sophie. With their departure everyone else got in line and started to make their way to the Hogwarts.

When the first two individuals made it to the office Frank picked up the sword and turned toward the headmistress. "Sophie, I think I need a few minutes. I'm going to take the sword and hat; I'll meet you at the washroom in about an hour. It will take almost that long for everyone to get here, Amelia to get the signal, and the whole group to make their way down there." The headmistress smiled sadly and waved her hand to acknowledge the comment. With a new sense of determination, Frank left and reached the staircases quickly. He started the familiar climb until he reached the seventh floor of Gryffindor Tower. "You know hat, you could have just told me." The hat merely shrugged and turned itself toward the wall opposite the portrait of the Fat Lady and murmured something.

The rest of the portraits watched in expectation as the wall seemed to melt away and another set of steps appeared. Frank took each step carefully, it had been quite sometime since a living person walked this path. "Hat, you'll have to make sure I know how to get back in here. Once I leave…" Frank didn't quite know how to finish the statement but the hat seemed to understand.

After few more minutes of walking the steps, Frank reached an opening and walked into the actual room at the top of the tower. Godric's private room was awash in artifacts radiating magic. Frank's breath hitched as he caught sight of the large portraits hanging on the walls. The room, like the rest of the tower, was circular but the portraits seemed to be on the cardinal points with large windows in-between each portrait. It was obvious to Frank who was portrayed. While he'd never seen images of the hallowed quartet, they looked exactly as he thought they would.

"Would you like to remain here when I leave or go back to the headmistress's office?" Frank was so taken by the room, he hadn't noticed the eyes of the portraits shifting from the sword in his hand to the piece of felt on the lone table. When the hat didn't respond, Frank turned and saw it seemed to smile. "If you are going to leave us now, I would like to know how to come back. There is something I need here, but I don't have time." The hat blinked a few times before the eyes shut and the hat began to slowly fade into nothing.

"Be not concerned, you and yours will always be able to enter since you are aware. Tell your family of the story, of your history, we knew all our stories would be lost and it was sad when it occurred. Family only need to step to the wall and the path shall be revealed." Frank looked to the portrait of the man who was garbed in the outfit of a warrior of the highest rank. The now familiar face gazed back and nodded at the wizard who carried his sword. Frank dropped his head and nodded at Godric Gryffindor, before leaving to return to his mission. Godric ran his hand over the hilt of the sword at his side. It was good to see the real thing again.

The portrait's eyes gazed to a smaller painting positioned over the fireplace, it had been a still-life life for nearly a thousand years. For the first time in all those years, something moved and the founders smiled. "Welcome home friend, you have done all that was asked and now you've returned to us." The old, battered felt hat stretched to its full height and blinked brightly at the others.

"It's good to be home."

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Amelia was surprised to find Frank missing when she entered the office. As she was the last to arrive, everyone else was present and Amelia slipped into her role as leader. It took another ten minutes before she received the all clear signal and began to dismiss the group toward their assigned locations. Sophie and Amelia found Frank waiting for them at the steps empty handed. Sophie looked to the auror who only smiled at the witch and nodded to his boss. "Where's the…?" Sophie's question was cut off when Frank smiled and mouthed _washroom _and continued to walk casually toward the second floor.

On entering the small room, Sophie noticed the sword leaning against the far wall while Frank moved quickly and stood in front of the artifact until Amelia received an oath from everyone to not reveal how the creature was destroyed. Those unaware of the gilded sword assumed the oath related to the alternate variation of the killing curse, but they were shocked when Frank pulled out the sword. "One moment, I would like to make sure no one is too close."

Frank looked at the individuals who may be in the range of his swing. "You all know where you are supposed to be, this is where I will stand and will not have the benefit of seeing what is around me before I swing. Watch your position and if it is in the path of this, I recommend we make some alterations. Yeah?" Frank stood at the mirror as Gibby explained how the opening was described in the family papers. Nodding, Frank stepped forward and leveled the sword. He took a few practice swings before making the moves he planned to use on the beast. After he finished two of his fellow aurors noted their assigned positions were in the direct path of the sword. Moving each back a few steps was the only change needed.

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"I think we are ready. Let's get the mirrors charmed and hand out those goggles. I would like to have dinner with my family this evening." As Frank leaned against the wall, the others in the room noted his normal optimism but he'd never been so jovial before. It was an interesting new side to the man. Most knew of Frank leaving the DMLE and figured the new attitude was because of that.

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The Longbottom family arrived at Malfoy Manor and were immediately greeted by Narcissa. "Neville, the boys are getting ready to fly. I hope you remembered your broom." The boy blushed and pulled it from behind his back. "Well, off you go. They are waiting on the back patio. I think you'll enjoy where they are going." Neville was quickly ushered out of the room and toward the back of the house. "Now Miss Aggie, I believe last time you were here, you met Hermione's cat Crookshanks." The younger witch jumped up and down a bit, while her brother loved plants, she loved animals. "Yes, Hermione and Crooks are in the library why don't you head in there for a bit while your mum and I have some tea." Without having to be asked twice, Aggie was on her way.

"Thanks, I think if we stayed at home, they would focus too much on Frank. I'm having a difficult enough time as it, let alone if I was trying to downplay my worries for the kids." Narcissa and Alice hugged before making their way to the solarium.

"Your family is always welcome here. And I think having them with other children will be good for them. Plus I'm interested in hearing what Neville says about the pitch." Alice laughed, very few of the parents were aware the new school was on Malfoy property. It was another security measure. Frank was made aware since he was a Regent and he naturally told Alice in confidence. The pair of witches enjoyed a quieter than normal tea and were surprised when the clock began to toll they counted the chimes. When the seventh chime rang through the halls both of the witches were surprised at how late it was. "I hadn't realized the time. Let's get the boys and find the girls. They can at least get cleaned up for dinner. You're welcome to stay, until we hear something." With a nervous nod, Alice agreed, she and the children needed to be with friends regardless of what happened.

The boys came in a bit cold and more than a bit muddy. After ushering them to get cleaned, Narcissa called Rich and Jean and invited them over as well. Alice appreciated how Narcissa was acting completely unruffled, but when you looked in her eyes Alice could see the nervousness. When the Grangers arrived, they went to get Hermione and Aggie from the library, while Narcissa led Alice to the sitting room opposite of the dining room.

Shortly after the now-clean boys trooped into the room, the floo sounded and Lucius stepped through the fireplace with a shocked look on his face.

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Lucius and Severus were stationed with the rest of the professors and extra aurors in the hallway outside of the bathroom. Lucius had been pushed toward the back since his role was more of an observer and Severus found himself pulled with Lucius. Aurora, taking matters into her own hands, ensured Severus was well and truly away from the washroom door. The action made the blond wizard shake his head in amazement at how easily she directed the Potion Master. "Honestly Severus, I cannot brew the waking the potion and I don't trust anyone to brew for you. You'll stay back here with me." With a little blush Severus nodded and placed his hand on Aurora's back.

The hallway was quieter than either wizard expected when Lucius mentioned his thought to Severus one of the other aurors looked up. "Amelia silenced the room, we have our theories but we don't question. Robards is just on the other side of the door and if things start to go south he's been instructed to open the door and prepare us. Hopefully he does that before trying to take out the creature himself. I'd like a little warning before the thing comes flying out here."

Lucius agreed, if he had to face the creature, he'd like a little warning as well. As the minutes ticked by no one knew how the mission was going or if it had even started yet. Most of the people in hallway remained tense and ready to react at a moment's notice. Lucius wasn't sure how long they'd been waiting but he'd resisted the urge to check his watch. When he finally broken down and looked, he realized they'd been standing still for almost three hours.

As he was about to say something to Severus, the door slowly opened and everyone braced in preparation to fight. An incredibly pale, shaking from her experience and covered what many assumed was blood, Amelia Bones exited. The only questions remaining were whose blood and what had happened in the small room.

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Frank took a backwards step from the sink and leaned against the wall while Filius worked on the mirrors. The unspeakables stepped forward and began their job with the charmed mirror. It took almost forty-five minutes before Filius confirmed the mirrors in the bathroom were now focused on the charmed mirror's image. Minerva stepped forward and took another twenty-five minutes transfiguring everything in the bathroom into something softer. Looking to each of the individuals in the room, she had taught each of them after all, she stated if people went flying there was no need for them to land and for whatever they hit to do more damage than they already had. A nervous chuckle floated through the room.

Gibby wasn't nervous about this, it was something that had to be done. The family had always known if the beast were released it would mean the end of Hogwarts. None wanted the legacy of Slytherin to be tarnished anymore than it already had been. His elf family had served the Slytherin family since the time before Hogwarts. When the name died out, the daughters still carried the blood, the elves continued their service to the children of the daughters and many believed the line would end with Merope's son. However, Gibby left many books in the Malfoy library in case something were to happen to him. When the time came and they were needed, Kitmu would ensure they were found, the Salazar Slytherin's final secret would be revealed.

The wizard and elf looked to each other and some sort of understanding passed between the pair. The elf reached and touched the hilt of the sword. A bit of magic was shared, no one but Frank noticed. He nodded to the elf who continued to keep one finger on the hilt until it was time. Generations of knowledge flowed easily. As the family knowledge passed, Gibby was pleased to know the vow taken was still being honored.

After Minerva stepped to the side, Amelia began to test everything. It took her over an hour before she could think of nothing else and had to step aside. Frank, who looked extremely relaxed, stood from the wall and dropped to meet Gibby's eyes. In a whisper, Gibby answered Frank's unspoken question, "It's all been seen, it's all been written, it's all been planned, it's all been fought. We are merely following the visions from a millennia ago, it's time". Before Frank could ask a question, Gibby spun, faced the sink and Frank hopped to his feet. The sword was sheathed in a scabbard no one had noticed, and Frank pulled the goggles over his eyes. He almost felt better if he shut his eyes, but he needed to look at least until he got into position.

With one hand on the hilt and the other on the wall, the wizard waited until he heard the elf's hissing. Without the benefit of watching others, Frank felt like it was forever until he heard something from below. He took his two measured steps and felt the back of the elf on his legs before closing his eyes. The elf continued to speak while setting his hand on the legs of the wizard. Slowly the noise increased in volume and the responses to the elf's commands were heard.

Amelia flipped on a recording device and slid a pair of modified glasses over her eyes. The rest of the team did the same and while the glasses didn't cover as much as the goggles, it would be enough to do what was necessary in the worst case scenario.

Gibby listened to what the beast wanted and did not answer, he only called for the beast to appear. Gibby and the beast had spoken before, the witches and wizards didn't know it, but the answers Gibby sought were only known by the beast. After learning the beast's secrets and it explaining what the other wizard said, Gibby promised the beast it would get its ultimate wish.

As the beast began to lift, Gibby's voice began to soften, the hisses almost seemed comforting in some way. The harshness everyone heard was replaced with a soothing sound making the beast move more quickly. When Frank felt the presence of something else, he remained still. The elf hadn't yet given him the sign. Until then he would remain still knowing the beast would be focused on the small elf standing at the edge of the opening. After a few extra seconds, Frank opened his eyes and found the enchanted mirror directly in front of him.

Gibby gave a slight tap to the wizard's leg and slowly Frank unsheathed the sword from its scabbard. With a move quicker than anyone expected, the sword was thrust upward and met with resistance almost immediately. Frank continued to battle, continued to push the sword up until he felt his hand hit the skin of the beast.

With adrenaline pumping through Frank's body, he couldn't sense anything until Gibby's hissing increased in volume but in the same soothing manner. Slowly the rest Frank's hearing returned, as did his ability to smell, finally he felt the sword pulled from his hand and a rush of air.

No one moved after the thud was heard, the rest couldn't tell if it was Frank, the beast or someone else who'd looked accidentally. It felt like forever until Gibby's voice was heard saying it was finished. The elf reached for Frank's hands and guided them to the hilt of the sword. "Remove the sword and I will turn the beast." Frank yanked back and stumbled when the sword finally broke free. It was silent until Gibby told Frank to do what needed to be done.

The elf had given the beast what it wanted and now all that remained was the clean up. Gazing around the room, Gibby was glad to not be a Hogwarts elf at the moment. After giving Frank the signal, the wizard looked down and saw the beast's belly and motioned for Gibby to step away. It took much less effort to cleave the head free than it did to kill it.

"Someone get Severus so he can do what he needs and the rest of the team can search the chamber." Frank summoned a large blanket and placed it over the faced down head and removed the goggles. It was only then he saw just what had occurred. "On second thought, maybe everyone else should keep their glasses on for a moment. Amelia, I'll come to you." Frank gingerly made his way across the room to where Amelia stood, it almost appeared she was in shock. "Go ahead Amelia, I'm in front of you. Take off your glasses."

Amelia Bones had seen plenty of muck and gore over her career, sometimes the people they caught were vile and other times they refused to be apprehended. But nothing in her past prepared her for when she removed her glasses. Frank Longbottom was covered in something, his hair was matted to his head, his skin and clothes were soaking and the sword was reflecting the light in the room while also covered. "Are you ok Frank?"

The man released a deep laugh. "Yes Amelia I'm fine. This is all from the beast and completely unexpected, it didn't seem to put up a fight at all. That said, it seems the place is a bit of a mess right now but we should probably move forward with the plan. I, for one, will need a bath." Amelia looked around the room and noticed how the walls, ceiling, mirrors, and everyone in the room was also covered. She waved her wand and the liquid dripping from the ceiling stopped while the substance on the walls continued to run and puddle on the ground. Luckily the drains had been covered to ensure nothing escaped the room.

"Everyone, the mission was a success. Be prepared as you remove your glasses, we are all covered and probably look worse than we are. I'll get Professor Snape and the exploratory team." Amelia carefully walked across the room on shaky legs and opened the door.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Severus Snape had never seen a room look like Myrtle's old haunt currently did. The fluids on the ceiling seemed to be frozen so the drips wouldn't hit anyone. The walls were covered as well and it ran without impediment towards the floor. Severus didn't even what to think about the floor and what he was standing in. Luckily Lucius had taken his robes when Amelia said they weren't sure if any of their clothes could be salvaged.

When Severus looked across the room, he saw the calm figure of Frank Longbottom leaning against the wall holding a sword and the body of the beast on the floor in front of him. "Come on Severus let's get this done. Alice and the kids are at the Malfoys and I think we will both need shower before we are welcomed at the table." Severus completely agreed and made his way toward the dead animal.

The potion master pulled a small box from his pocket and resized it. With a second flick of his wrist, the box transformed into a large table with various tools and multiple bottles. "Frank, if you are going to remain, maybe you could help a wizard out with the sword. It will be much faster than what I brought." Frank had a smile on his face as he lifted the sword once more.

"Just point to where you want to slice and I'll take care of it."

Gibby watched the dower man as he began to bottle the various parts of the beast. Indeed there were many secrets to be revealed.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Narcissa immediately raced to Lucius when he appeared. When no one else followed him through the floo some gasped and a strangled sob or two were heard. That brought Lucius out of his haze. "It's fine, it's fine, the beast is dead." When he paused again, Narcissa pulled on his arm until he looked and saw raw fear in her eyes. Looking around he saw six children. The four he expected were holding the other two tightly. All silently watching the elder Malfoy waiting for him to speak again.

Alice Longbottom was held by Jean Granger before standing tall. "Lucius…" She didn't continued, she couldn't, her courage suddenly drained and she knew she'd not be able to face life without Frank. Her eyes shifted to her children. Both were pale and Neville looked to be ready to fall over. Her eyes quickly returned to Lucius.

"Alice, kids, I apologize for the delay. Frank is fine." He couldn't continue as those in the room broke into tears of happiness as the weight of the unknown finally dropped. "He will be here soon. Right now he is helping Severus and according to Amelia, both will need a shower before I'll allow them in the house. If they look half like Amelia, you'd understand my stance." Lucius pulled Narcissa into his arms. "Let's just sit for a bit. I don't know much more than that, but Neville and Aggie, your dad will be here soon. You will all go home again, as a family."

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

While Severus and Frank broke down the beast into easier to handle pieces, a team of unspeakables entered the chamber. Gibby, unknown to Amelia and the team, followed them until they reached the first obstacle. The elf watched with a bit of amusement but more impatience until Amelia called for him. At his arrival, the witch asked if the family documents discussed how to access the rest of the chamber. The elf again wanted to roll his eyes at the witch.

He nodded and began to hiss at the opening. In reality, the command was same as the sink. He added some nonsense hissing just to make those standing around think it was more difficult. "I will go first." Without waiting for agreements or arguments, the elf hopped through the still opening portal and looked at the chamber seeing a number of tunnels going off in every direction. Gibby knew which tunnel he needed to search and he also knew he needed to be alone. When the aurors arrived, they found the elf looking toward the end of the chamber. "The lake and opening are that way." When group neared what they hoped was the end, they realized the remainder of the tunnel was submerged in water and the second access would be impossible to reach.

Amelia thought about options and had an idea. "All, if we have the merpeople remove one stone from the opening and we push the water back, do you think we'd be able to get the water out?" The humans began to speak quickly as the elf made his way down the path farthest from the water. "Gibby?"

The old elf turned. "Going to ensure tunnels are clear. I let you know if there's anything." Again, the elf didn't wait and quickly moved into the needed tunnel. Amelia, who couldn't waste time chasing an elf, sent her patronus to Oliver who was waiting on the shores of Black Lake.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Oliver watched as Amelia's patronus came barreling at him. For such a petite woman, the bull headed his way really seemed to represent her. When it was required, the woman resembled the proverbial bull in a china shop. He listened to her instructions and shook his head. "I can't believe I didn't think about that." He stepped into the Lake and place the bubble head charm just before he dropped under water.

He reached the sentry guard quickly and requested a meeting with Clyte. When the merman appeared he seemed giddy with excitement. Oliver didn't believe it had anything to do with what his teammates had achieved. "Good day Clyte, you seem quite happy."

The merman laughed and pulled the unspeakable into a hug. "I would say so Wizard Oliver. Avalon has just informed me my grandchildren will be arriving soon. Adamaris is quite nervous, I remember that feeling. This is a day I thought would never come."

Oliver was incredibly happy for the merman. "Well, today seems to be a day of celebration in both our worlds. We have destroyed the beast but encountered a bit of a problem when entering the tunnel. The opening allowed water to access the chamber and now the area of the opening is covered deeply with water." The elder merman nodded in understanding.

"I had wondered if that would have occurred. We can take care of it quickly and I apologize for not doing it before hand. Come along." Clyte called for one sentry to follow as they made their way to the opening. "Ondine, remove the final stone, the small one and remain near the opening. I will signal when you should replace it." The merman removed one stone and Clyte began to twirl his trident in an anti-clockwise direction. After a few minutes, Clyte signaled the other merman who replaced the stone. Finally, Clyte sent his reinforcement spell once more. "It's done, the water should now be gone. I'll have Ondine get you to the surface quickly and he will remain close. If you need anything else, just get in the water and he will assist you."

With two quick strokes of his tail, Clyte was gone. "Thank you Ondine, I appreciate the assistance." The merman nodded once and held the wizard as the pair shot toward the surface. When Oliver exited the water he found his boss's patronus waiting. After hearing the water was gone and they were securing the opening, Oliver hopped into the water and informed the sentry. Ondine smiled and waved as he faded into the depths of the lake.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Amelia and the other unspeakables couldn't explain what happened, but suddenly the water began to recede, like water in a sink after the plug had been removed. Once it was dry, the second opening was obvious and the team began to secure the stones and cover in concrete. It seemed the muggles had a way to replicate the strength of stone with just some powder and water. As the mixture was made the wizards imbued it with strengthening spells and charms making it impossible to crack.

While the opening was being secured, Gibby found himself nearing the end of the tunnel he was searching. In his conversations with the beast, Gibby had been told of things being stored by the wizard who claimed to be the sole heir of Slytherin. Whatever had been placed there was dark and the basilisk never went near it. Gibby knew the tunnel in question was used by Salazar, considered his secret room and the end of the tunnel was exactly how the family papers described it.

Gibby, knowing what should be there, noticed a few missing items before sighing. The darkness was easily located and the elf was surprised at how many dark objects sat on the ancient shelves. There were six objects, each imbued with darkness. Four of the objects the elf immediately recognized while the remaining two were unknown. Knowing he needed to understand what the other two were before informing the wizards of these items, Gibby came to a conclusion.

Waving his hand the elf floated the dark objects from their hidden shelf into a wooden box that appeared from the thin air. The box, packed with the objects, disappeared as it appeared, quickly with no evidence it had ever existed. Gibby pondered what to do with the rest of the items, they were deeply historical but the witch in charge would only see them as banned. There was no way she'd not fight to destroy them. In the end the elf constructed a fake wall to make the tunnel appear to end.

With his work complete, the old elf exited and found the witches and wizards still occupied. He continued to explore each of the tunnels looking for anything else the heir or Slytherin may have left. While he didn't find any items, he did find something more worrisome. While the opening into Black Lake had been one access point, it seemed another unplanned opening had been created. The elf returned to the main area and waited for the others to return.

Amelia looked to the elf who did not look happy. "Gibby?" The elf waved his hand to the group and walked toward one of the tunnels. At the end of the tunnel, or what had obviously once been the end of the tunnel, Amelia gasped. "Another opening? Are there any others." Th elf shook his head and stepped to the side. "Gibby, please wait here, we will see if this opening does access the outside. We will return shortly."

The elf waved the group away and found himself quite concerned on a number of levels. The beast hadn't mentioned this opening, so did it not know. Was someone trying to access the chamber without others knowing. The elf believed it was the case but didn't know if this was decades, centuries old or much more recent. There were at least two individuals who would be keen to access this chamber without having to deal with getting into the school or the lake.

The question was just who it was and why they'd done it. As the elf contemplated this unexpected discovery, the group returned. "Gibby, the opening wasn't created from the chamber out, someone started to tunnel toward the chamber and chipped through the wall. On our way back we've collapsed the tunnel and just need to secure the tunnel end." The elf assisted and suspected he knew who was trying to access the chamber and probably why. He was glad the most dangerous items no longer resided in the not-so-secret chamber.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Amelia Bones was pleased to close the file on Slytherin's Creature. This would allow Hogwarts Castle to reopen in the fall. Now Amelia's attention was focused to review some reports another unspeakables had finished. Reading the witch set her head on the desk. It seemed her summer might not be as quiet as she had hoped. Maybe she could get Frank to do some consulting work for her. She would definitely need his perspective on this.

*MoT*MoT*MoT*

Eventually Frank and Severus arrived at the Manor to the overwhelming excitement of their family. Aurora arrived at Severus' side and snuggled a little deeper into his arms. She felt almost complete, she wondered what was missing, she'd figure it out eventually.

_**A/N2: This concludes Year 2 and I want to thank everyone for reading. Year three is in the works but it's a bit away from me even thinking about starting to post. As with year 1, I'll add a chapter here to inform those who have favorited/followed when the story posts. Make sure to fav or follow the story or me to get the notification.**_

_**I have a few one shots that I'll post to my collection piece in the coming months so keep a look out for that. Until next time, see ya later.**_


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